Saturday, December 13, 2008

Quick and dirty - but SO COOL!

We have this great book. Numbers. That's all it is. 1 with a picture of one black hen. 2 with a picture of 2 lady bugs on 2 leaves of grass, each with 2 spots, etc.

Kaylee brought it to me just now. As I turned to the first page she said, "Whaaaaaaan." As I turned to the second page she said, "TOOOOOO." I turned to the third page and "Whaaaaaan!" Page four "TOOOOO!"

I'm giddy right now. We read the book 5 times. I'm gonna go see if she's up for #6.

Thursday, November 27, 2008

Thanksgiving!

Mommy, wow! I'm a big kid, now.

This was my first SUCCESSFUL solo Thanksgiving. It is also my first REAL solo Thanksgiving. Every other Thanksgiving since getting married, wonderful family has taken us in. This thanksgiving the wonderful relatives offered, but we declined because of various work related crazies.

ALSO - every other year I've made us Thanksgiving anyway, but I've never gotten it exactly right. I'm kick ass with the Turkey, but oftentimes it doesn't get done when I want it and other things aren't timed right and we end up eating the meal in shift .. and don't even get me started on my gravy. I LOVE gravy, and I can never get it right. EVER!

This year - The turkey? Amazing. The mashed potatoes? UBER lumpy (because I moved a MONTH AND A HALF AGO, y'all! I should have found my potato masher already!) but also yummy. The green beans? Meh - but none of us have that as a favorite part. My husband's favorite (rather disgusting) pistachio pudding that I made from memory because I wanted to surprise him? An absolute hit! (But seriously? Two packages of pistachio pudding mix - mix with a can of crushed pineapples [with the juice]. Stir in halved marachino cherries, nuts, and a thing of cool whip. Voila! Pistachio Pudding. I forgot the mini marshmallows. Next year there will be mini marshmallows.) I feel all grown up and spiffy.

WARNING! MOMMY BLOGGING SAPPINESS (OR LUDICROUSNESS) STARTS HERE

The Kins has been a riot today. At one point I opened up the oven to smell my turkey but because of the COLD FROM HELL I couldn't smell it. So I said what any sensible pwerson would say, "I can't smell my turkey! This sucks!" And the Kins started marching around the kitchen saying, "sucks! sucks! sucks! sucks!" Yes, I know. I am the worst mother EVER. It gets worse. All of my siblings have decended upon NYC for Thanksgiving so I called them and told them this story. The Kins overheard and started gleefully saying "sucks! sucks! sucks!" The siblings also told me that they are celebrating with Turkey on Saturday because one sibling is stuck at work today ... so the Kins and I called her and said "Doctor lady, the Kins and I think it sucks that you are stuck at work on Thanksgiving and we just wanted to tell you that. Isn't that right, Kins?" And then I handed the phone to my sweet, innocent 19 month old so she could giggle and shout, "SUCKS! SUCKS! HIIIII! SUCKS!" to my sister.

Yes, I am exploiting my daughter's ability to say a semi naughty word for my own personal amusement. Am I going to the special hell?

THINGS MY DAUGHTER CAN SAY PROPERLY (And she knows what they mean)

1) Kitty Kat

2) Hereyago (yes, one word - but it's uber cute!)

3) Up! (This one started today! Adorable.)

THINGS MY DAUGHTER CAN SAY PROPERLY (and she gets very wrong)

1) Apple! (I think this means "food" to her)

2) Mama! (I think this means "drink" or "more" ... I'm not sure which. It certainly doesn't mean me!)

3) Hereyago! (yes, this is in both columns. She says it when she is giving something ... she also says it when she wants something.)

Also, don't tell my diva in the kitchen sister, but the pumpkin cake with cider glaze that I am about to go make? It is not exactly an Epicurious recipe ... but I've been assured that it is beyond amazing. And I'm always up for trying something new!

Saturday, November 22, 2008

Combine Harvester!

The Kins and I are cleaning the kitchen and watching Maisy. This is our first time watching Maisy. Neither of us were really paying attention, but it seemed perfect for her age group. "What is that, Maisy? A ball! Yes! Lets throw the ball!" or "What color are you painting the roof? Green? What a great color!" And then suddenly we hear "What is that, Maisy? A combine harvester? What fun!"

Yes ... as my 12,000 reference questions on this topic will attest - toddlers LOVE big machines, so I totally get it. I just have to laugh. "Can you say 'ball,' Kins? Ball! Ball! Very good! Ok. Now try COMBINE HARVESTER!" Ah, it is to laugh (as my old teacher would say).

In other news, my mother brought me new clothes yesterday, and one thing she brought me was a velour lounge suit. I have declared today "lounge around in comfort" day! The Kins can't stop petting me. She's wandering around in her footie pajamas, which are BEYOND adorable. Seriously - I want to devour her! She's so cute!

Mostly just wanted to post that I am alive and kickin, and hope to someday post more!

Saturday, September 06, 2008

Really really here! I promise!

So much to tell!!!

We are going through some major changes in our lives. I just got my dream job. GO ME! I start next Monday and I am beyond excited about it. I will still be a children's librarian, I will be doing dozens of storytimes all the time ... I will actually get to do things I really care about. My husband just got a new job really near mine that he starts around the first-ish. We realized how hard that would be with just the one car so we are also probably moving to be closer to both of our jobs. So ... yeah. A ton of changes and they're all happening right now. EEEP!

Maybe this is only funny to me ... The Kins and I were emptying the dishwasher today and I was telling her about her grandmother (tomorrow is grandparents day after all!) and I recited to her my mother's favorite nursery rhyme:
Hey diddle diddle the cat and the fiddle, the cow jumped over the moon. The little dog laughed to see such sport and the dish ran away with the spoon.
Kinsie looked up at me, then grabbed all the spoons from the dishwasher and ran away. I think I may have to change her nickname from Kins to Dish.

I made a very Colorado dinner tonight. I went to the farmer's market this morning (I really hope there is one near our new home!) and got peaches, corn, and tomatoes. The corn was served with my famous (well, famous to me) chive garlic butter, the peaches were cut up and sprinkled with raw sugar (because they aren't as sweet as Colorado peaches), and the tomatoes were paired with mozzerella, basil, oregano, and balsamic vinegar. It was one of those insanely healthy dishes that the junk food lover in me didn't want to love but that just really made me happy.

PS - Mom - if dad wants to use the picture from the post below on his website I would encourage it. I'm pretty sure it was taken by your phone and it's one of my favorite pictures.

PPS - don't you LOVE personal messages in blog posts?

Thursday, August 14, 2008

In which the blogger appologizes profusely and promises not to do it again but no one believes her.

(side note: I love those long rambly chapter headings or story titles like that. Didn't Billy Collins write a poem about that*? I could look, but poetry is all the way on the OTHER SIDE OF THE LIBRARY and I'm on my break and will look it up later.)

So it's been awhile, hasn't it? I'm sorry! I'm trying to turn over a new leaf and actually update here ... we'll see how I do.

So ... my last post was 2 days before this:
new kins
THE KINS! Isn't she beautiful?

Fast forward a couple of months and this happened:
dad and kins
Seriously - don't you just want to snuggle up with them and LOVE LOVE LOVE? My dad and my daughter = adorableness I wish I could bottle.

Fast forward a few more months to two days ago and we get:
baby chef
Anybody who is on my facebook already knows this, but the Kins loves putting things on her head. And her Aunt and almost Uncle sent her a chef's hat and apron (apron not pictured) and she was SO HAPPY! And then she was banging on pots while I was making dinner wearing them both so we made up a song (Does anyone out there in library land know the song baby shark? 'Cause the song has the same tune.) that goes like this:

Baby Chef (do do do do do)
Baby Chef (do do do do)
Baby Chef (do do do do do do do do do do do do do doooot)

Toddler chef ...
Kidlet chef ...
Teenage chef ...
Mama chef ...

then I had to tell her that mama doesn't necessarilly follow teenage, I just put that in there so I could be a chef too. 'Cause I'm egotistical. (: And I'm slightly neurotic about not forcing her into traditional gender roles.

Who am I kidding? I'm slightly neurotic about most things.

So that's what I've been up to for the past ... 15 months or so. What about you all?

*He did. It was called "Reading an Anthology of Chinese Poems of the Sung Dynasty, I Pause To Admire the Length and Clarity of Their Titles." Now we all have to pause and note that the side note I started my post with has a foot note attached. And some people say I'm not neurotic.