The Best Laid Plans

As I said, the power did in fact go out the day we thought it would. It was off for 48 hours, but seemed like 4 or 5 days! Sam didn't like the beginning of "Sorcerer's Apprentice" -- a little too creepy for her.


Thankfully, the house held heat pretty well the first night. We lit a fire first thing in the morning. I was near tears when I realized the coffee maker used more wattage than the converter would power. (Yes, it's an addiction and I should work on that someday.)

Also realized, a little too late, that the side burner I intended to use on the grill wasn't working! Ugh. We were glad for the fire to heat the beans and cornbread for supper and for the warmth of a friend's home for a couple of hours that evening. Unfortunately, we let our fire go out and house temp dropped pretty fast on the second night. Other sweet friends offered their generator and again realized we needed a lesson in wattage and amps and electricity and such! We couldn't get it to run our space heaters sufficiently, so we all slept together to stay warm. Well, except for Grandaddy. He was in many, many layers (including the long johns) and lots of blankets on his own.

The kids slept in their stocking caps all night.


We woke up on Day 2 to 41 degrees. I wore my winter coat all day and kept Grandaddy in his coat and a stocking cap. The kids, on the other hand, never once complained of being cold despite their red noses. We all moved to the living room and kitchen, shutting off all the other rooms. We stayed in one spot where the space heater and fire combined to get us to a scorching 58 by the time Brian came home from work.

We never had to use the water in the tub and the food turned out to be the least of the troubles. I found it most difficult to live in the mess I'd let my kids create to entertain themselves. We still did school and lots of reading. You'll see they made a restaurant in the kitchen under the table -- we ate on pillows Turkish-style while Chase and Ava sang "Here Comes the Sun" as the live entertainment. (Someday I'll post about how I made the cover for the fort -- soooooo easy to make one to fit whatever size table you have!)



Nearing the end of daylight hours on Day 2, the kids were a little tired of all the closeness. I set up three play centers: in the teepee, on a pile of sleeping bags in the hall and under the table. In each I put some sort of game they could play on their own like Perfection or magnetic shapes or chalkboard and chalk. I'd set the timer for 10 minutes and told them when to rotate and then we'd put in new games and start over. That might have been the most peaceful time of all! I'm going to start incorporating that into our school day!

Probably what I liked best was working on this 3D puzzle of the Titanic that we've had for years and never attempted. It was the perfect time and we did it!

Believe it or not, we were thankful for the reminder of all the things we take for granted: warmth at the touch of a button, hot water at the flip of wrist, and hot meals whenever we want them. And, we tried to make the best of the situation without complaining -- pert near a miracle in itself, if you ask me. Even Grandaddy said he enjoyed sitting out with us and watching the kids play. Maybe it was just what we needed to shake things up a bit.

Please, no more shaking for a while.

Ice Storm Prep

Last week, there were predictions of an apocalyptic ice storm headed our way, so I spent some time preparing for the worst. I wrote the following a couple hours after the power first went out:

You’d think water and warmth would be on the top of my list, but the first thing I think of is how on earth I’ll get my coffee. (I do this when I prep for camping too!) Last year, Brian bought a power inverter for the truck. I intend to use it to keep my cell phone and laptop charged, but most importantly, I can brew a pot of coffee pretty easily. I am more thrilled about that than I should be.

Firewood: we didn’t have as much on hand as we’d like. Brian kept warning me not to burn so much just for ambiance, but I didn’t listen. So we pulled some out of the woods that we’d stacked for bonfires and brought it into the workshop. Hopefully, we won’t need it, but if we do, it will be dry.

Food: we always have enough food to get us through WWIII, but I did sift through to see what I might cook before we lost power. I pulled out things that are hard to cook on a gas grill. I put a pot of dried beans on the stove, tossed a roast and some potatoes in the crock pot, then threw a tray of bacon in the oven followed by a double batch of cornbread and the rest of the cookie dough left from the giant Sam’s Club bucket. Everything else will either keep for a long time (like peanut butter crackers and granola bars) or I can cook on the grill pretty easily (like eggs and noodles.) We also have a case of bottled water – which, with all the ice outside, seems a little redundant.

I did cook one of our frozen pizzas for lunch assuming that you can’t put that on the grill. I got curious and learned that you can, in fact, bake a frozen pizza on the grill. Google is a beautiful thing.

The grill will be moved to the garage or workshop depending on how long we’re out of power. Garage would be convenient, but the workshop would keep the cold further away from the living space.

I had everyone take showers/baths with full shampoo and blow dry before the water wouldn’t be hot and the blow dryer wouldn’t blow. My sensitive smeller thinks ahead too!

I filled my garden tub full of cold water. I figure water pipes could freeze or maybe if we don’t have power, the water plant might not have power either. Who knows? Again, a little redundant as I look outside at all the ice on my deck. I guess it saves a step or two anyway.

I meant to post this before the power went out, but I missed it by a couple hours. I’m typing in the dark now. Chase is already asleep in the teepee. Sammie and Ava are watching “Sorcerer’s Apprentice” on Brian’s laptop and Brian is watching youtube videos on his phone. We’re hoping to get through the first night without lighting a fire.

Granddaddy declined any special treatment when Brian offered an extra pair of long johns or long sleeved shirt. I took them into him an hour later for “just in case,” I said. He put them on about five minutes after I left.

Check back in a few days to see if we turned to icicles ourselves!

Skateboarding With Parker

I'm not sure which part of these pictures makes me the happiest. Is it the fact that Parker, as a very young teenager, was so sweet to my Sammie?




Or the fact, that six years later, as a young man, he's just as sweet to the whole crew?

First 3D Movie

Summer of 2009
Little Rock, Arkansas
Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs



You see all my brood with Ava in Logan Adcock's lap. The "Nuddah Mckena" in the middle.





I wish I had pics of the next time we went to a 3D movie last summer. We took Grandaddy to see Toy Story 3. He said he didn't really understand the beginning (that would be the previews,) but he liked it once it got going. Anything with cowboys you know....

Art

When we first moved back to Bloomington, I took Grandaddy on a driving tour of Indiana University's campus. I showed him the library and Sample Gates and other buildings where I spent a lot of my time in grad school.

We passed the Musical Arts Center and I told him about my job there in the ticket office and my dear friends I met in that tiny little room behind the windows. When he saw the stabile in front of the building he said, "What's that?"

I said, "Art."

We rounded the block and drove past the Union where I confessed to buying a no-bake cookie almost every day I walked through the doors. On down the street, we drove in front of the IU Art Museum and another orange structure made him ask, "What's that?"

I said again, "Art."

As we drove closer to the IU Auditorium and he spied Showalter Fountain, a statue with a naked lady splashing around with fish between her legs, he said...

..."Now THAT'S art."

Easter Bunny Stories

This story is better told by my dad with the twinkle in his eye at the thought of his firstborn and the exaggerated moves of an actor. My sister was born in August of 1968.  At the time, Daddy was an actor playing the lead role in the Legend of Daniel Boone at the outdoor theater in Harrodsburg, Ky.  When he got word that my mom was in labor, he took off in his costume to get to the hospital…coonskin cap and all.  Somewhere along the way, a state trooper pulled him over and Daddy got out of the car to explain things.  In his haste, he said, “I’m Daniel Boone and I’m going to have a baby!”  

The trooper didn’t miss a beat and said, “I don’t care if you’re the Easter Bunny, you were driving too fast and you’re getting a ticket.”

Apparently, once he slowed down and explained more clearly why he was driving so fast in a Daniel Boone costume, they came to an understanding.       

Fill Me In On The Last 20 Years

This has been the frequent request as I catch up with old acquaintances on Facebook.  I've written versions of the following so many times in the past few months, I thought I'd post it here.  20 years of life in 500 words or less.  (Sort of.)

*********************************************************************************
After high school, I went to Western Kentucky University to major in music. I don’t know that I took full advantage of the college experience in the best way, but I did graduate with honors and some very good friends for life.

My mom talked me into going straight to grad school (even though I didn’t want to) by saying, “I just don’t think you’ll be reaching your full potential if you don’t.” Since I was too chicken to sing and did not enjoy children enough to want to be a teacher, I settled on a program in Arts Administration – the business side of music. The closest program to home was in Bloomington, IN at Indiana University, so off I went.

Again, I didn’t love the school part, but to this day I have dear friends from that time in my life. (For example, I worked at the opera house ticket office for a fantastic guy. He and his wife just shared a mess of beans from their garden. THOSE are friends worth keeping!)

I fell in love with a boy at IU, so after my internship in Washington, D.C., I moved back to Bloomington to start a career and continue that relationship. (Turns out I didn't enjoy children until I found a guy I thought would be a terrific dad.  From then on, my perspective changed dramatically about kids.) I took a job as an account executive at a very fun advertising agency called Hirons & Co. It was a crash course in the corporate world.

I learned so much in that short time. Not only about work, but how to work through a broken heart. It seems like Bloomington is where I grew into myself. My choices, my decisions, my mistakes -- but they were all mine. Not influenced by my family or a lifetime of “this is what so-and-so is doing.” Again, friends were the highlight of that time. Some now in California, Texas, Illinois and a few, thankfully, still in Bloomington.

During the transition from that job to working as the press secretary for the Bloomington Mayor, I met my man, Brian. Two things that I remember: I remember feeling so honored that the Mayor sought me out for that job when I wasn’t even looking for a change. And the other thing is that in the small group of people introducing themselves that day, I remember thinking, “Oh, he works for the OTHER ad agency in town.”

Brian and I met at church among a group of young, single professionals. It sounds much holier than it was. There was a time that I thought, “Oh my goodness. I’m going to have to tell my children I met their father in a bar.” I’m glad I don’t have to.

The next two years were a whirlwind of milestone after milestone.

• Started a new job.
  
• Bought my very own condo.
  
• Found out my father had colon cancer.
  
• Married Brian.
  
• Found out Dad’s cancer was terminal.
  
• Quit my job.
  
• Sold the condo.
  
• Moved to Louisville.
  
• Helped take care of Daddy until he died.
  
• Started a new job.
  
• Finished building a house that someone else had started.
  

Happy. Sad. Thrilled. Devastated. I cried a lot. And grew up some more.

While Brian worked at that other agency’s new office in Louisville, I worked in the marketing department at LG&E Energy. It was fun to commute with my hubby and work so close together we could meet for lunch. When we finished our house, our commute from little Sellersburg, IN was a third of what it was in Louisville proper.  

A little dream of mine came true while I was taking piano lessons from the fantastic John Bizianes in Louisville.  He and his twin brother had a band called "Double Vision" (get it?) that needed a female lead vocal and they asked me to do it.  I LOVED it.  I got to sing songs I loved, dress in fancy clothes and they even paid me for it. Memories I'll treasure for a lifetime.  (Click here and scroll down to the Double Vision listing.  You'll see a pic of the band from back in the day and you can even hear a snippet of me singing!)

The fun really began when we had our first baby girl, Samantha, who is now 6 (and a half, she will quickly tell you.) Brian had a job working out of the house then, so he took care of the baby while I went back to work for a few months. I stayed home for good when she was about 7 months old and have never regretted that decision.

Talk about growing up! Nothing like marriage and a new baby to make you realize all your shortcomings. I met a terrific lady while I lived in Sellersburg. She is a few years older and her kids are in the next stage of life ahead of mine. She is my friend and mentor. Everyone needs one. If she hasn’t been there, she’ll help me figure out what to do anyway. Her friendship and wisdom permeates almost everything I do. If you don’t have one these, go shopping for one RIGHT NOW! I found mine at church…it’s a great place to start.

Grandaddy came to live with us while I was pregnant with Chase. Read more about that by clicking here. For those of you who knew my dad, you might like to know we named our son after him. You can read about that here.

Since we can’t seem to stay away from a challenge, Brian was offered a job back in Bloomington at Cook, Inc., so he started up here while I stayed back to have a baby and sell the house. Then we lived in a furnished, rental condo for six months while we built a house up here that would accommodate an elderly person and a growing family. Here’s what I always say about building a house, “If Brian wants to build a second house, he’ll have to do it with his second wife!” Some people love the process and I am not one of those. I tend to care more about living my life than what color the switch plates should be. Crazy, huh?

Chase was such a good baby that Ava followed very soon after. Chase just turned four this past June and Ava will be three in September.

Grandaddy is still with us and very healthy. He fixes his own breakfast every morning. Samantha will be starting 1st Grade in just a couple of weeks. (Click here to read about why we homeschool.) Chase is more handsome and sweet than I could’ve been smart enough to ask for. And, our little, red-headed Ava keeps us on our toes, but mostly follows whatever mischief her big brother and sister are into.

I could not be happier with my life. I love teaching my kids and learning from them, too. I love that I get to know my Grandad in a whole new way in these very golden years. I love that I get to share the joys and challenges of life with a wise and loving man who cares more about the character of our family than the kind of car we drive.


I’m still a huge Elvis fan and I’m reminded of the first stanza of an old hymn from one of his gospel albums.

Why me, Lord? What have I ever done 

to deserve even one of the treasures I’ve known?

Tell me, Lord? What did I ever do 

that was worth loving you or the kindness you’ve shown?

Now, fill me in on the last 20 years of YOUR life!

Things I've Noticed in Spain

You can kiss your family and friends good-bye and put miles between you, but at the same time you carry them with you in your heart, your mind, your stomach, because you do not just live in a world, but a world lives in you. 

– Frederick Buechner, Telling the Truth

For the first time, I got a glimpse into Brian's world as a working man.  (I never believed him when he said it was hard to be away as he called from a five star hotel.) It's the Arnold custom to stand on the front porch and wave frantically, screaming "Byyyyyyyyyyyye.  I love you!" to whoever is leaving us.  My precious babies did this for us when we left Sunday to go Spain and my heart sank.  Everything I hold precious was right there, getting smaller in the rearview mirror.  I know they are well taken care of and our trip will be a memorable time in our relationship, but still......still.

Off to Spain.  We are staying at a five star hotel built for the '92 Olympics.  I remarked to Brian that it's the grandest hotel I've ever stayed in.  When he just shrugged, it occurred to me that my favorite five star hotel is whatever five star hotel I'm occupying at the moment!  I often judge a hotel by it's bathroom.  I felt a little like Crocodile Dundee when I discovered this:

I understand what it's for, but still can't bring myself to use it.  

I wondered, as I lay poolside today, if there was anyone in Barcelona longing for an exotic vacation in the United States.  Even if they were, I doubt Bloomington would be in their dreams.  I saw these things I thought were floating in the pool.  Turns out they are metal and sit just under the surface.  I want one!  I guess I should get a pool first.

I know Diet Coke is a huge hit in the U.S., but I wondered if this were the label everywhere, if it wouldn't fly off the shelves!  Has a nice ring to it, don't you think?

In case you can't read it, it says, "Coca-Cola light."

In this hotel, they are particularly conscious about conserving energy.  The escalator to the mezzanine, for instance, doesn't move until you take the first step and stops as soon as the last person gets off.  The place to put your key is not on the door.  See this? It's under a row of buttons on a wall to the right of the door....one of which is the buzzer for your room.  No plain ol' door knockin' here! (I know that doesn't save energy, I just thought it was cool.) Also, before you can turn on the lights in your room, you have to put your key into another outlet inside the door.  So when you take the key out to leave your room, the lights automatically shut off 60 seconds later.  I learned this when everything went black in the bathroom -- good thing I have a general idea of where everything important is in there.

The best thing I've discovered so far is their "chocolate caliente."  It was the most creamy, luscious thing I've ever put in my mouth.  It tasted like my grandma's chocolate pie in an espresso cup!  

Lastly, I'm absolutely reeling from reading "The Shack."  Read it, read it read it! Ron, Betsy, Tracy, Honor, Adam, Eric, Becky....read it, so we can talk about it.  I have every third page dog-eared with something that touched me.  Absolutely fascinating, thought-provoking and, and...and, well READ IT!

Happy Blogoversary To Us!

One year ago today, I wrote my first post.

As an anniversary post, I thought I'd list some of my favorite entries of the year.  I had fun looking through them all and chose ten.  For my three avid readers, this might not be much fun. If you're new to my sock-filled world, this will give you a glimpse of life in our four walls.   

By far, my favorite was taking the time to document my family's legacy of service to our country.

My first, and I think only, Works for Me Wednesday post.

Why I really blog.

Or, my other reason to blog.

Chase's favorite super hero: Hot Girl.

When Brian joined the blog and began making this blog thing a family affair.

I found a place to showcase my beautiful babies on Father's Day.

Some important firsts in A Big Week for the Arnolds.

Getting to tell Grandaddy tales.

Writing down memories so my kids will have a glimpse of their other Grandad.

Who knows what great adventures this next year will bring?  Some might be worthy of a read. Some won't matter until my own kids are 30-something and want to remember life as little ones.  

Right now, this blog probably matters more to me than anyone else, but I'm glad you're along for the ride!

Dutch Blitz – A Vonderful Goot Game!

Tracy Adcock – one of Kristin's best pals, and the matriarch of a family near and dear to the Arnold family – headed home to Little Rock, Arkansas today following a whirlwind visit. Dutch Blitz is customary any time there's an Arnold–Adcock reunion, so, naturally, we dusted off the game and got down to a little card playing while she was here. Kristin took top honors this go-around as she won the best-of-seven series over the course of her birthday weekend.

Thanks to Tracy for the visit ... and, along with her hubby (Darrell), for introducing us to the game. Sammie is on the verge of picking it up, and we're looking forward to playing with her, and any other friends here in Bloomington that we can introduce to the game, soon.

One for the Road

Brian's traveling and since the internet is sporadic overseas and his cell phone doesn't work internationally, he said he'll check the blog when he can.  I haven't written anything for him to check! So, most of this is just for him.  

A few notes about what we've done while Brian is working hard in Rome: 

I've hired a sitter twice, so far.  Once to have fun with a girlfriend.  (Grandaddy said, "While the cat's away, the mice will play, huh?"  Yes, yes we will!)  And once to take him to two doctor visits and to have a rash checked on Ava's leg.

I was having the prescription filled at our pharmacy and the clerk looked so confused for the longest time.  Finally she said there was no record of Ava.  Then it occurred to me that in her 2 1/2-year-short life, she's never had a prescription.  Now THAT should go in the baby book!  And, for similar books, Sam and Chase have only had a prescriptions for one ear infection and burn cream, respectively.  I find that amazing and am SO thankful!

I did another VERY exciting thing while paying a babysitter...grocery shopping.  There's this freaky lady (I say that with the GREATEST love since she's a good friend of one of my good friends) who shoots for spending $60 a week on groceries.  Isn't that amazing? Since I've been working on a new budget for '09, I've learned that we spend $100 a week on produce alone. Hhhhmmmm....  I need to think about that one.

I let the kids camp out on the floor in my room Friday night for a special treat while Daddy's away.  Sammie wanted to watch "The Sound of Music".  (That's my girl!)  I fell asleep when I turned out the lights for them at 9 and we all slept until after 7 the next morning.  These are tiny miracles in my life.  (The sleeping, I mean, not the children.)

I pulled the van out of the garage for a while, so they could ride their bikes and skates in there.  At one point, Ava came in first and asked for a drink and both the other kids came in and just grabbed it from her to take a drink.  We had a little lesson on asking permission, thinking of others and not taking advantage of babies.  Their consequence was that they had to serve her for the next day or two.  They've cleared her place at the table, retrieved her cup when she wanted a drink, shared their snacks and helped her dry off and get dressed after bath.  (This consequence actually helps Mom a LOT!)

Everyone was a bit stir-crazy and tired by about 5:30 on Saturday, so we had a long bathtime where new bath paints were introduced.  (Despite my best efforts, I still had to take down the cloth shower curtain for a good washing, too!)  Little activities like this have done wonders for teaching Chase his colors!  He's finally got at least red, blue and yellow down.  

Then, our Saturday night ritual of watching "The Lawrence Welk  Show" on PBS with Grandaddy ensued.  Chase was begging to go to bed by 7:30.  Truly I think it was because he was exhausted and not because the music bored him.  Brian's probably glad to be out of town when it comes to Saturday night.  

Somehow we actually got to church a few minutes early this morning.  I love that Chase and Ava go in the same classroom together!  Their teacher said Ava gets to come over because she's so well behaved.  I laughed a little, since she's our rebel at home.

It was baby/family dedication day and I cried as they showed all the new babies and the little siblings traipsed up on stage in their finest.  Our family minister spoke briefly to the parents.  I found it so interesting that he didn't mention Sunday School, or a daily Bible lesson or Christian schools to keep the kids on the right path.  He reminded the parents, including me, that he hoped our own love for the Lord and each other would so over flow in us, that our children would learn the truth of who Christ is simply by how we act in our daily lives.  I'm glad I went to church today.

So, "leftover night" at some friends' planned for later today. (I have GREAT memories of these when we lived in New Albany...anyone else?) 

And, who knows what tomorrow and Tuesday will bring as we countdown to Daddy's return. Sorry to bore my other two readers with a blow by blow of family life when hubby's away.

One last thing:  Every morning (it's still dark here at 7 a.m., so they can't see) at least one of the kids' comes in our bedroom and says, "Daddy?"  They just expect him to be there.  What a great expectation.

Come home soon, Papa Bear.

We Wish You a Greasy Christmas

I was just making some peanut butter balls with the kids today. I suggested they might become Sammie's Christmas specialty when I saw she had quite a gift for the chocolate candy coating.  She agreed, "I think we should make these EVERY year."  Christmas traditions at six.  I love it!

I'd never made them before today.  Christmas holds so many special memories for me, but home made goodies isn't one of them.  My sweet Aunt Betty used to come with lots of home made treats for us and we couldn't wait for her to get there!

Many of my fondest memories growing up have my dad in the foreground. For a lot of years, he was the Sheriff in our hometown and the office was open Christmas Eve.  He gave everyone else the day off so they could be with their families and he worked until it was time to close.  

In the meantime, Mom and I were busy "assembling" goodies.  If there was baking, mixing or candy coatings, I don't remember.  I remember fancy cheese and wine baskets for some friends. And, very practical, yet still yummy things for other friends.

For several years in a row, Daddy wanted me to meet him downtown at closing time.  He'd lock up and we take a walk around the courthouse square.  He'd tell stories (yes, the ones I'd already heard several times) and stop and look at a doorway as if he could see an old friend standing there.  He'd remind me what each building used to be and what memories they held for him.  

After that, we'd go by the house and pick up all the things Mom and I had been preparing.  We were the delivery team.  It was so fun. From the grand houses of doctors to old friends in the projects, we delivered Christmas cheer.  

One time, Mom did go with us. (Honor, do you remember this? -- catty corner from the funeral home?) This time it wasn't just a gift basket, but several gift packages, beautifully wrapped, plus a basket of goodies.  This time, Daddy didn't send me to the door.  He said, "Come on.  I want you to see this." This time we parked.  This time we all got out and went to the front door. I'd never noticed this run-down house before and didn't know the middle-aged man who answered the door in his t-shirt, or the elderly lady standing behind his shoulder.

Daddy said, in his best, merry, Santa voice, "Ho, ho, ho!  Merry Christmas!"  Gosh he had such a way about him that made people feel special.  Anyway, this lady, with slightly gray (and a little greasy) hair invited us in.  You could kind of smell what you were getting into even on the front porch.  Daddy introduced us to her and to her grown and I'm pretty sure mentally handicapped son, who also had greasy hair.  There I was, a 14-year old girl, in my plaid skirt from Talbot's, feeling more than a little uncomfortable.

Mom and Daddy handed them their gifts which they wanted to open immediately.  The man opened a package of brand new boxer shorts and t-shirts.  I was mor-ti-fied.  He grinned from ear to ear and tried to say something.  I couldn't understand him, but Daddy put his arm on his shoulder and just said, "Merry Christmas" again. 

The lady opened her big box and I saw a winter coat.  I don't know how to describe it.  It wasn't ugly really, just not so pretty to me.  Not in style.  Again, I was embarrassed. 

She reacted as if she'd opened a full-length mink coat. She came over and hugged my dad and just cried and cried about how thankful she was and how she didn't know how she was going to get through the winter without a coat.  I didn't think she was going to let go.  Daddy was teary, too and so was Mom.  

We didn't stay long and nobody said anything when we got in the car.  I guess that's why he wanted us to see it.  Some things can't be explained.  Like overwhelming gratitude for an out-dated coat and underwear.

What are you grateful for this Christmas?  

 

What Do You Call a Baby Card Shark?

This past summer one of the fun memories was watching Grandaddy's renewed love of solitaire as he played on the deck. He's quite terrible at it, actually. In his defense, I think it's because he keeps trying to play when he knows the kids have some of his cards.

Sammie wanted to do what he was doing, so he tried to teach her.  It was a little complicated to pick up, so she taught him to play Go Fish instead, which he called "Goldfish" until I wrote it on a piece of paper for him.  (Then the little pond in the middle started to make sense.) 

When we went to Arkansas this Fall, one of the things he insisted on bringing back was a red lapboard he'd made for Grandmother, so she didn't have to leave the couch to play. I can't even picture her without this red board on her lap.  

It's not red anymore, because when he brought it home he tried to trim it (with a hacksaw) to fit his chair.  Between the Elmer's, Gorilla glue and clamps, he still couldn't keep the red felt on it, so that part's been crumpled up beside his chair for a couple of weeks now.

He's started to teach Chase and Ava the face cards.  It's funny to hear this kind of conversation from the other room:

Granddady:  You comin' up, baby?

Ava:  Yes.  (With a little lisp.)

Grandaddy:  Well, then, come on.  (Which sounds a little more like "own" than "on.")

Ava:  Play cards? (Said as she's nodding her head up and down and sounding a little more like "ca-oods.")

Grandaddy:  You wanna play cards?  Well, ok, we'll play cards.  What's this one? (He always starts with a queen.)

Ava: QUEEEEN!

Grandaddy:  Right!

And off they go, practicing the face cards.  Her favorite is always the queen, but she's picking up on the others. Chase loves to play, too and will bring all kinds of weird cards....Noah's ark match game or his deck of amphibious animals.  Still, he plays for as long as they want to and always hates when they move on to the next thing.

So what do you think is sweeter, the gold tooth, the big belly or how content they both seem with a handful of cards?

Another Reason to Blog

Or journal or scrapbook or write notes on the backs of photos.

Brian had to work late last night, so I let Sammie lay in bed with me until she fell asleep.  I asked her what her favorite part of the day was.  She thought for a minute and said, "Watching a movie."

WHAT!?!?!?!?!?

I said, "What about playing in the garden for two hours and planting and swinging on the swing set? What about a chips and salsa snack on the deck?  What about having your first 'quiz' for school and getting a hundred on it?  What about playing fishes and scuba in the bathtub for 45 minutes?  What about a special popcorn snack with Chase and Ava before bedtime? What about you beating me at math games? What about taking a walk this morning to our special rock place?  What about you and Chase picking cosmos for me from the neighbor's garden?"

She giggled and said, "Well, I guess my favorite was the chips and salsa.  And, the quiz.  And, playing in the garden."

Now, THAT'S more like it.

This is why we MUST write these things down. Somewhere.  SOMEHOW!!  Otherwise, all we'll remember is how tired we were.  And, all they'll remember is watching movies.  

Excuse me, sir? You forgot the eyeballs on our ice cream.

Phrases like this are a sure sign that it's the end of summer around here. In our college town, the students are back and are clearly in training.

There's a little ice cream dive called The Chocolate Moose that sells "torch cones". My kids instantly adored them because each cone comes with a pair of candy eyes. I instantly adored them because they are actually kids' sized and Brian instantly adored them because they are only 25 cents! (35 if you get a special chocolate or cherry dip.)

We took one of our trips there Friday night and the poor guy at the booth handed me two blind torches. So, I had to say, "Excuse me, sir? You forgot the eyeballs on our ice cream."

Brian loves Fall. And, I suppose if there were no change in seasons, I could never appreciate Summer as much. But, I LOVE summer.

I'll miss some of these Summer-only moments:

Popscicle faces and sprinkler races.
Will these girls always stay so sweet?
Go ahead. Guess what's in the coffee cup.
Ahhhh...paintin' the fence with Daddy. Don't you love a man who's brave enough to give a three year-old a paintbrush? (The back side of the fence, that is. The side no one can see. )
Old-fashioned rides at the county fair.
Hi-tech rides at the county fair. HA!  They did say this was their favorite. Something about it looking like an M & M.
Painting on the patio.  Their object was the swing set.  I wish I had photos of their abstract art. Then again, you may be glad I don't.
Working on landscaping in the bright, bright sunshine.  A perfect reason for a five year-old to use her parasol.
Landscaping in the 98 degree heat.  Really the ONLY reason a girl in her late 30s should ever wear pig tails.
Picnics on the front lawn. (Shirts optional.)
Banana pudding on the front porch with friends. (They always seem to know the perfect time to drop by on a Summer evening.)

So, now we say good-bye to sprinklers and picnics, swimsuits and fairs. Good-bye to Summer.

And, good-bye to ice cream with eyeballs.