Our Life, Our Adventures

We have a new home

2008-07-15T07:46:00.003-10:00

We have a new blog home, here. I am working on domain forwarding right now, but eventually, the address should be www.thisabundantlifeblog.com. Right now, it's hooked up to my business blog, so ignore the web address for now. Hope y'all will stay with us!

Our best family photo yet!

2008-06-24T09:08:00.000-10:00

Create your own family sticker graphic at pYzam.com

Talula's Summer Solstice Birthday Party

2008-06-22T06:21:00.027-10:00

Yesterday, we celebrated Talula's 2nd birthday. She was so happy to wear her pretty pink polka-dot party dress.

We had her party at the new lodge that Joey helped to build. Here is her sun pinata that Tania, Tutu, and I made.

Of course, I had to take some photos of the food I made. Cantaloupe-mint salad...

Chunky guacamole...

Pico de gallo...

Of course, by the time the barbecued steak, chicken, and asparagus, and artichokes with lemon garlic butter were served, I was wayyy too involved to take photos, but I assure you, Joey is a barbecuing god.

Of course, at a Summer Solstice party, you have to serve mead, the drink of the gods.

Talula pretty much opened presents throughout the day. Here she is, opening a set of musical instruments.

Then, Tania and her friends put on a puppet show, Little Red Riding Hood. Tania and Tutu made the puppets, Little Red Riding Hood, the Big Bad Wolf, and Grandma. I love how you can see the grape vines through the window/stage.

Then we got to the pinata. Tania's friend M hits it.

Tania gave it a few good whacks.

Tania's friend A is the one who eventually broke it.

Little Lu has a turn.

Finally A whacked it so hard it went flying across the room! Feathers, confetti, and art supplies burst out!

The girls then used the supplies to craft to their hearts' content.

Tut helped Lu.

Then...more presents!

Then...birthday pie time! We all sing to Lu and she blows out her candles.

Of course I had to take a photo of my lovely raw strawberry pie. It was delicious, and the only ingredients are strawberries, lemon, dates, and walnuts. We also had homemade strawberry ice cream. Lu had to have lots.

As the party winds down around sunset, Lu plays with her new Cabbage Patch doll sent from Grammy in Arizona.

She has to end the day by picking a beautiful pink rose to match her outfit.

Happy Birthday, my sweet baby Lu. I cannot describe in words how blessed I am to be your Mama. You bring new joy to my life every single day, and you force me to grow and change and better myself. I love you so much, and I hope you will always know that.

I'm voting Republican

2008-06-13T08:09:00.001-10:00

Just so you know we're not dead

2008-06-09T12:06:00.005-10:00

We've been in Portland, enduring some weird weather, and my camera has been sad and lonely in the bottom of my purse. It did make it out to snap this shot of Tania in a field, no, I think I'll call it a meadow to be all old-school and whimsical, near our house.

And to take this shot of Lu boobing her baby. With no pants on.

And to capture how beautiful the vineyard is in the spring with all the wildflowers going crazy.

Mother's Day was awesome...

2008-05-12T10:01:00.004-10:00

...but I wish my kids weren't so ugly.

Well, at least my husband is a gem. He surprised me with a picnic down by the river. And he got me an ice-cream maker and the Barack Obama book, The Audacity of Hope, which I have already started and am impressed with. We had a really great weekend, the best Mother's Day I've ever had.

Imagine when she's a teenager.

2008-04-27T11:11:00.001-10:00

I got my hair did

2008-04-21T09:17:00.002-10:00

Goodbye, sweet borderline mullet. Goodbye dark winter hair. Hello, awesome haircut and highlights that I love. I just want to stare at myself all day long.

Spring is here...for two days.

2008-04-15T06:10:00.010-10:00

So you think you can read while you're nursing me? I don't think so.

Sisters in the sun.

Sunny day wagon rides.

Sunny day kitty.

Doesn't everyone hold a baby in a sling while they sit on the potty?

That's Candice, Esq. to you!

2008-04-11T12:12:00.002-10:00

I just found out that I passed the bar exam! I'm an official lawyer now! Yayyy...

Nerd Alert! My Special Binder Friend.

2008-04-02T17:08:00.023-10:00

I have been blabbering about my new "home management" binder for a while now, and some of my friends wanted to see what the big deal was. So let me walk you through my new friend. I got the idea from a friend who linked me to this blog. I also used this site for some more ideas. The reason I started the binder is because I was getting overwhelmed with cleaning, cooking, homeschooling, etc., plus thinking about what I was going to do when I start my law practice. I needed to get organized.

So, without further ado, here she be:

The Cover

You have to get a 3-inch binder with the clear pockets on the outside. It's just some yellow printed scrapbooking paper that I slipped in, but I may jazz it up with a photo of the fam or a picture that Tania draws.

The Pencil Holder

It's a 3-hole punched pencil holder. I keep some mechanical pencils, some pens, scissors, and dry-erase markers, which are key to the binder.

The To-Do List Notebook

This is a 3-subject, 3-hole punched notebook. In Section 1 is my general everyday to-do list. I start it the day before as I think of things I know I won't do until tomorrow. Section 2 is my "work" to-do list, which, as of right now is a list of things I need to do to start my firm. Section 3 is a miscellaneous to-do list, which includes crafts and writing projects.

Inspiration

Next, is my inspirational picture of a pregnant Rosie the Riveter, which I ripped out of Wondertime magazine. It reminds me that I am a strong and capable woman with many roles to fill.

Vital Info

The binder is divided into sections, and the first is "Vital Info." The first pages have all the important phone numbers, like the grandparents and doctor and dentist, poison control, etc. I almost posted a photo of that page, but thought maybe I'd not like all that info online. Also in the Vital Info section is an Emergency Supply Checklist from Real Simple magazine that I plan on getting together pretty soon.

Calendar

My calendar is printed off of Google Calendar. Each page is a week, and I printed two months at a time.

Meal Planning

This is my favorite section. We have cut our food budget in half since I started this. Here, we have my shopping list with a receipt attached. I go over the receipt and gasp at the expensive things and consider whether they are worth it and swoon over the deals and make a note to buy those items again. Going to the store with a weekly meal plan and a list of groceries prevents me from buying anything on impulse.

The weekly meal plan is in here too, in a sheet protector. I write the plan with a dry-erase marker and wipe off at the end of each week.

I also have magazine recipes in here. I love the little 4-per-page cut-outs from Martha and other mom-type mags like Woman's Day and Family Circle. (Hey, no dissing, it's called the free bin at the library!)

This one is a whole bunch of risotto recipes. Rice is so cheap and risotto is so delish.

This one is a whole bunch of chicken recipes from Better Homes and Gardens. Chicken is another money-saver if you buy the whole chicken or thighs.

This one is a whole bunch of ground beef recipes, another affordable meat.

Also in the meal section are some of my self-created recipes. The one you see is my chicken soup.

I have another folder for recipes. It's an accordion file folder, so recipes can move from here to the file. I try to organize the accordion file by month, so that id it's September, I can reach into the September section and pull out a recipe with ingredients that are mostly in season locally (i.e. fresher, cheaper, and better for you).

One of my money-saving techniques is to plan two or three meals together. Like meat loaf and mashed potatoes one night, then a shepherd's pie with the leftovers. Or, grilled salmon and asparagus one night and then a creamy pasta with the leftovers. Or, cooking a whole chicken and using it to make two different meals plus broth.

Another money-saving technique is to plan meals around affordable meats, like whole chickens, turkey thighs, ground beef, etc. Look for recipes on the internet.

You should know that I mostly buy organic and local, and I'm still keeping it affordable.

Cleaning

The cleaning section has been a real relief. Basically, I have daily chores...

And then each day, I focus on a particular room. For each room, I have weekly and monthly tasks. It's in a checklist format and I check the tasks off with the dry-erase marker.

It's made cleaning so much more bearable. I decided to do basic kitchen and living room cleaning and laundry every day. On Monday, I do thorough kitchen cleaning - things like cleaning the fridge and stuff like that. Tuesday is living room; Wednesday is bathrooms; Thursday is bedrooms; Friday is laundry room and hallways; Saturday is yard and cars. I love this because if my room is a mess but it's Monday, I don't care because it's kitchen day. I also love it because I know that my sheets are getting washed every other week. I never have to stop and think about how long it has been. And once a month for each room, the task is to get rid of stuff. Decluttering is the best...although I have yet to part with that collection of size 6 jeans that haven't fit me for years.

Also in the cleaning section is this stain removal sheet from Family Circle.

Health

This section has my health goals and things like workout sheets. Right now, I'm doing the "Self Challenge" from Self magazine...sort of. Mama likes her wine.

Homeschool

This has records of what we do every day school-wise with Tania.

Craft

The craft section is not just crafts. It's basically a "things to do" type of section. Like this page from Martha of wild edible greens that I want to go search for with Tania soon.

Or this trip planner from Sunset magazine for the Southern Oregon coast. I smell a getaway coming on.

There are also print-outs of activities from the Family Fun magazine website. Great site for kid activities. If you ever have a rainy day or need to spice up your mommyness, go there.

Spiritual

Spiritual right now is basically my worksheet printouts from my Oprah.com class on the book "A New Earth," by Eckhart Tolle (another thing that has changed my life). I have plans for studying other spiritual books, so I'll probably journal them in this section.

Holiday

This is yet to come, but will have all things holiday in it - meal planning, gift lists, ideas, activities, etc.

And that is all.

Having my life organized into one place gives me more time for things like this...

And this...

(That's what a kiss looks like.)

Spring fun

2008-03-31T09:28:00.025-10:00

Spring is in the air! I love the photo of Joey and Lu above. Aside from the last week of weird weather (rain, hail, sleet, sunshine), it has been getting warmer and we can go hang out at the vineyard and go on walks and stuff. It really makes me feel like I am awakening from a long winter hibernation. Here are just a few Spring and Easter photos:

Dyeing Easter eggs...

Easter-egg hunt... (No frilly dresses or brushed hair for these kids.)

The excitement can really tucker out a gal... (Yes, that's chocolate on her shirt.)

Walks with Lu...

Hangin' with her chicken pals...

Wild plum blossoms. My mom made some delicious wine out of this last year...

Flowers that Talula picked...

On one of the rainy days, Lu makes a salad...

We drove to Ashland to pick up Tania, who had been visiting friends in California. Here we are, waiting for Sis at Lithia Park, doin' some playin'...

Yay! Sis is here, with friends! Talula will not stop talking about how she held hands with "Liv" and saw ducks and played with a ball and had "fun, fun!"

Hopefully, I'll be posting more often than once every two months from now on. I've been really busy for the past few months. Adios!

Zonie pics

2008-02-02T11:34:00.000-10:00

I did a bad, bad, bad, bad job of taking photos while I was in Arizona. I was too busy watching my back, if you know what I mean. (Ever watch COPS?)

Here we are, all set to go to the airport. I even jazzed up my mullet with some hair jizz.

I had to veto Talula's favorite accessory. She just doesn't get it. Yes, it's red. Yes, it fits around your neck. No, you can't wear it out in public.

Once we got in to Phoenix, it was time to celebrate New Year's Eve. Talula had to put on her winter snow princess party dress.

Here's Joey with his Mommy. He grew up in this house.

The next morning, we opened all the gifts they had saved for us. Tania was extremely bored.

(In case you didn't get that, I was joking.) Now how about this adorable wooden truck with animals in it? This is what you get when you have amazing in-laws, and you ask them not to get your toddler anything made in China. They go to a craft fair and pick out something totally unique and amazing and locally made. Love those guys.

We went to Sedona one day. This was a building where the psychics play. I really wanted to get my reading done, but $50 ain't cheap.

This is one of the cool uh, whatever those mountainy deserty hilly red things are.

We went to this little village and looked at all the cool stores.

Joey and Tania. Can you tell that Tania is deathly ill in this photo?

We went to a local brewery and had some beer and food. Of course.

I accidentally cut Talula out of the picture, so here she is, coloring.

That's pretty much it for photos. It doesn't really show all that we did, but oh well. We had fun.

Snow!

2008-01-27T16:19:00.001-10:00

Yay! We woke up this morning and it was totally snowing. The snow continued pretty much all day! Here are some photos.

I love this photo of Tania. She looks so pretty.

Little Lu had so much fun. She cried when we had to go inside, but passed out for three hours afterward.

I love this one of my girls' butts and hoods.

Look at this chief, holding out strong all winter.

This is right around when the tiredness kicked in.

Tania figured out that a ladle is the ultimate snowball maker.

Here's a photo of our driveway, looking out toward the street.

Here are some photos of our house, coming in from the driveway. You can see the snowflakes falling!

This is the view down the hill into the town.

Our backyard.

We stopped at the vineyard to make sure everything was all G. How gorgeous is this sight?

The chickens were doing fine.

This is the view across the river.

This photo is for my dad. It's the new road, from tasting room to hangout area.

The vines looked gorgeous covered in snow, with the sunset in the background.

We stopped at the community center to sled down the hill. That's our friend, Wayne, pushing Tania.

A gorgeous photo of Joey and Lu with the sunset in the background.

Joey sliding down the hill.

Wayne pulling Tania down the hill while Joey looks on.

Tania, Joey, and Wayne running and sliding down the hill.

Snow angels.

Joey and Tania standing on the hill.

And now Lu is screaming at me. Gotta go.

January update

2008-01-24T11:08:00.001-10:00

I thought I'd do a little update, since January is almost over and I have yet to post. I am too lazy to upload any photos right now, but here's the update:

1. We went to Phoenix on New Year's Eve and stayed for a week to hang out with Joey's family. I don't want to talk shit, but duuuuude...Phoenix is a hellhole. I knew what I was in for, since every third episode of COPS is shot in Phoenix, but still. Every time a car drove by, I thought I was going to get shot. Joey's family, on the other hand, is lovely. We had Christmas, Part II, the day after we got there. Gifties galore. We also went to Sedona, which is beautiful, and totally made up for Phoenix's assiness.

2. Then we got sick. Tania got sick the day after we got to Phoenix. I thought the rest of us were in the clear, but on the airplane ride home, Tania and Talula both started vomiting all over me. Best airplane ride ever. Then, about a week after we got home, I got the sickness. Horrible.

3. I am now studying for the February Oregon Bar Exam. It is taking up about 6-9 hours of my life per day. I love that I'm cramming all this stuff into my brain that I will never use in actual practice, or that I can look up in a matter of seconds. But, whatevs.

4. I started jogging again, and my leg muscles are angry about it.

5. It's wicked cold here. Snowing, as we speak.

6. I'm turning 30 in two weeks.

7. My baby is cute, as will be evidenced later with photos.

8. My 8-year-old is almost 9, but acts like a 14-year-old.

9. Brrr.

10. I'm so sad that Heath Ledger is dead, and so irritated with those dumb Phelps people who are going to picket his funeral. FYI, they're picketing it because he played a gay character in Brokeback Mountain. How effed up are you if your entire religion is based around gayness? They only picket things that are related to gayness. Not, um, murder, or adultery, or any other "sin". It's suspicious.

That is all for now.

Christmas!

2007-12-26T08:54:00.000-10:00

I think I love Christmas again. We had a great Christmas season.

We made cookies.

And decorated them. (Joey looks like he's "on the pot," but I assure you he's not.) You should have seen the silly decorating job those two did.

They bearded my baby.

When she woke up, she wanted a "Coo! Coo! Coo!"

Another day, we stringed popcorn and cranberries for the tree.

This little maniac likes to eat raw cranberries.

And drink what she believes to be egg nog.

These activities can wear a gal out.

Many naps have been taken. This one happened on Christmas Eve.

The girls waited patiently for Christmas Eve dinner.

The family and our friend, Wayne. What you see there is a delectable meal of pomegranate-merlot leg of lamb, with blue cheese mashed parsnip-potatoes, gravy, brandy-walnut cranberry sauce, and rolls. What you don't see is the maple-walnut cheesecake with gingerbread crust. Mmmm...

Someone loved the food.

We let the girls open one present that night.

Tania opened a cool pink vest from Tutu.

Talula opened a pair of booties from Tutu and a bell necklace.

She had to put the booties on.

Then she had to rip her dress off, because she felt like it took away from the booties.

After the girls went to sleep, we stuffed their stockings.

And when they woke up in the morning they opened them in our bed.

Talula got some cute little musical toys.

And then tried to whack Tania in the head with one of them.

Then the girls came downstairs to open presents.

Tania's favorite was this cute little turquoise iPod.

Talula loves her new stroller that Tutu got for her.

And her little kitchen.

Which she transformed into a new seat.

And then just completely demolished.

And then...guess what? We woke up the next day to snow! Not a lot of snow, but still snow, nonetheless. Talula loved having me make snowballs for her and then stomping on them.

Well, it was almost a white Christmas!

Spinny-spin-spin and other cuteness

2007-12-15T09:24:00.000-10:00

More evidence that my baby is cute:

Dude! I'm so stoked that blogger lets you upload videos now! It was such a pain in the arse to upload to another hosting site and then embed it here.

Now, back to freaking out about the holidays.

What we did since the last time

2007-12-04T06:42:00.000-10:00

Jeeeeeeezzz...I have been SUCH a slack-ass with this thing. It's been over a month. We had Halloween. Here are my two bored cats waiting to go.

We went to the Wildlife Safari. They put on a Halloween thing every year, apparently. You can ride a train, play games, see a magic show, etc. Tania met her bff there.

The kids do get to get their sugar on. They can decorate cookies and make caramel apples. Making caramel apples is wayyy better than bobbing for apples. Imagine all the snot that gets into that water. Blech. We revisited the cookie place a few times, because there's nothing better than frosting made of pure sugar.

Talula was obsessed with these goats, but afraid of them too. Love/hate. Hard to know what to do.

I don't know why, but this photo of Tania makes me laugh every single time I look at it. I'm smiling right now. It just cracks me up. I think it makes me think about how funny it would be if Tania was actually changed into a sheep, like in one of those kid movies. She would totally still have her same face. It would be hilarious. And she'd have that look on her face too, like, "Oh crap. Now what are we going to do? I can't be a sheep forever. Baa."

We had to keep the Halloween spirit alive the next day too. Tania tried to not wash her face for like five days. Her shirt is awesome too. We made it a couple of years ago. It's a photo of my friend, and when he showed up to a party, everyone there was wearing it. Hilarious. It's a good trick. You should do it sometime. Especially if you have a friend who doesn't like to draw attention to themselves.

We blew up an entire pack of balloons, drew faces on them, and left them around the house for a few days. It was good times until I couldn't take it anymore and murdered them all.

Talula had to hold onto one while she helped me make a pie.

And then, there was the best day of the year. The day I get to eat turkey, stuffing, mashed po's, gravy, etc. Here's my turkey soaking in a brine.

Here's my spread. I have to brag and say that everything was deliciously perfect. I did screw up one thing. I tried to make little leaves and turkeys out of pie dough. You know, to decorate the pie. But I forgot about them and they burned to a crisp. It was not to be. But do you see that cranberry sauce? Well, it turns out that I'm the only one who likes cranberry sauce, so I made the leftovers of that into a cranberry-pear pie, and I got to do a reenactment of the leaves. It worked out handsomely, and everyone liked my pie.

Poor little Lu was sick on Thanksgiving. We all got the plague when we went to Portland a week before, and you know how babies stay sick for ever. So she looked adorable in he little dress, but it was impossible to get her to smile that day.

I had to get a little fancy. Do I look too Matron Bush with the necklace thing?

Gosh, they are so damn cute.

And now, we're kickin' off winter with cute hats, cute coats, and cute faces. December is here. Time for the Christmas rush.

October doings

2007-10-28T14:45:00.000-10:00

We've had no internets and a broken camera, and this makes Lu very upset.

But we've been doing all the fun things that you do in Fall. We picked apples. It was just Lu and me, because picking apples is "boring" and "lame."

But they're also delicious.

Since our neighbors have an apple orchard, we got to load up for free. See how greedy we were? I even filled the back pocket of that stroller.

We made a friend on the way home, some apple beggar.

We also had a grape harvest. These are Cabernet Sauvignon grapes.

Here are Joey an Tania, driving the ATV. They pick up full buckets from the pickers, dump the buckets into half-ton bins, and return the empty buckets to the pickers. Driving the ATV is "cool" and "awesome."

I totally caught this gal slacking on the job.

We also have been harvesting our vegetables, but our dumb tomatoes took forever to ripen.

Then we had a harvest party in the barn. The world's cutest cats were there.

I'm supposed to be Rosie the Riveter, but I look a lot like Dr. Evil and Mini Me when they went to prison.

Some other costumes. That's my mom in the blue wig.

Joey is the girl on the right.

We had a hobo fire can.

And danced the Two-Step.

And danced to Thriller.

We went on a hay ride at the pumpkin patch.

And that's October, the best month of the year. We still have Halloween. It's not over yet. Sniffle.

Hawaii

2007-09-28T14:44:00.000-10:00

What can I really say?

More proof that I'm insane.

2007-08-28T13:29:00.001-10:00

I cut my hair. Drastically. And all by myself. I quite like it though. It kind of looks like I dyed it red in this photo. I may just go ahead and do that.

In other news, we went camping. The spot was near Umpqua Lighthouse, in Winchester Bay. That's Oregon, for those of you not in the know.

We camped on Lake Marie, a small lake about a mile around, and full of trout that evaded us the entire time.

Our campsite was "cozy". The Loud Family stayed next door. Here we are setting up camp.

Someone didn't help. She just sat there smirking.

Tania had her own little tent. She's so brave. I'm such a wuss that I had to wake Joey up to pee with me at night.

Someone also thought 5 a.m. was a good time to wake up.

Here's the breakfast crowd.

Someone ate all of the sausage.

Tania and Tutu did some bonding.

And at some point, Tania got really tired of having to pose for the camera.

Someone never tires of getting her photo taken.

Tania did find her true love on the camping trip, though.

And Someone got in a lot of walking and exploring.

No, you're the man.

We looked and looked and looked in the woods for fairies, but they totally hid from us. They can be such a-holes. We know they were there though, because we found their hiding spots.

I think Tania got her fill of helping with Lu. She's over it for a while.

She also insisted on folding her tent up all by herself and protested about my uncoolness when I had to take a photo.

Back to civilization.

My baby walks.

2007-08-20T07:57:00.000-10:00

Finally. And thank God, because I was getting really tired of people's comments and questions. "Why doesn't she walk yet?" "Ohhh, my grandson was walking at seven months." "What does the doctor say?"

So I think it all made me go temporarily insane. I started making up reasons why my baby didn't walk yet.

EXAMPLE ONE:

Lady: Wow, she's huuuuuge. How old is she?
Me: 14 months.
Lady: Oh, she's not walking yet?
Me: No.
Lady: Ohhh...I thought they started walking by one year.
Me: Oh, well, it's because of The Accident.
Lady: Oh?
Me: Yeah...her um, dad, uh...threw her down the stairs. She's paralyzed from the waist down.
Lady: Oh my gosh!

At this this point, Joey walks up and picks up Talula and says, "Here's your daddy, Lula!" Lady looks horrified. Then Joey puts her down and she stands up for a while.

Me: Oh my God! It's a miracle! She can stand! She can stand!

Joey looks confused. Lady shakes her head and walks away.

EXAMPLE TWO:

Lady: What a chubby little thing! How old?
Me: 5 months.
Lady: Only 5 months!? Wow!
Me: Yeah, she was 15 pounds when she was born.
Lady: Oh my God. That's amazing! And she's crawling? Wow, just...wow!
Me: Yeah, I was the same way. So was my other daughter.

EXAMPLE THREE:

Lady: You cute little chubby thing! How old are you?
Me: 29.
Lady: Oh, ha ha. No, how old is the baby?
Me: Oh. 14 months.
Lady: Well, does she walk yet?
Me: No.
Lady: Hmmm...well, I'm pretty sure she should be walking by now.
Me: Ohhh...yeah, well see the thing is, she's really, really, really stupid.
Lady: What?
Me: No, I'm serious. She's really stupid. My other daughter was never that stupid.
Lady: Really?
Me: Yeah, watch this. Talula. Talula. What's two plus two? See? I mean, who doesn't know what two plus two is? Stupid. Stu. Pid.
Lady: You can't be serious.
Me: What do you mean? Don't you know what two plus two is? Watch this. Talula. Talula. Who is the president? Yeah, see that? Everyone knows that. Stupid.
Lady: Uh, this is weird.
Me: Yeah, tell me about it.

Our morning walk

2007-08-03T07:36:00.001-10:00

Lu and I like to take a walk in the morning to say hello to all of her friends. This is Morning Lu, ready to face the day, armed with a smile and a bag full of cuteness, no one can stand in her way.

We say hello to her chicken friends. They like to peck at things in the vineyard.

Hello, rooster friend. He looks for hawks while the hens get their pecking on.

These hen friends are new-ish and have not been socialized with the other chickens yet. Tonight. Big night. Party in the hen house.

We say hello to Lu's piggie friends. They're busy sleeping and cuddling.

Some of her horsie friends are grazing.

One of them stares at us blankly.

And then there's these guys.

We see a couple of her doggie friends.

And a couple of her moo-cow friends. Moooooooooooooooooooooooooo, we say to them.

Poor little Lu has thrush, and so I can't eat these lovelies.

And that's our morning walk.

By the way, my girl can wear pigtails now.

Oh my God. I'm back in blog world.

2007-08-01T10:13:00.001-10:00

Yay. I'm finally hooked up to the internets and found my camera cord. Obviously, I can't catch up completely or I'd bore myself to death, but here are some things we have been doing lately.

Eating dirt:

Going to the Oregon Country Fair. My brother Bryan and some handsome devil named Joey. Yes, my brother dresses like that all the time.

Joey pulling Tania.

Talula looking adorable.

We've also been working to get the barn built. In July, we started laying concrete. Big job. I'm glad I have a baby. Otherwise, they might have asked me to help. Instead, I was on photo duty. I must have taken a hundred (yawwwwwn) photos, but here are just a few.

From left to right, Jim, Some Guy, Some Other Guy, Bryan (crouched down), and Joey. They're leveling the concrete.

From left to right, Bryan, Joey and Jim. They're shoveling excess concrete out.

With some of the excess, we made personalized stepping stones. Here is Tania, handprinting the Aiston stone.

My dad and mom, enjoying a *gasp* beer??? What kind of vineyard is this? For shame.

My dad writing his name in the finished cement.

Tania making things out of excess concrete.

Tania and Talula drive the tractor now. Totally safe.

Been trying to work sometimes. It was kind of doable for a while, but then Lu decided she wants to try to walk all the time now, so now it's really hard unless she's asleep.

And the latest thing that we've been up to...recovery from this incident. 3 plums + 1 peach = diarrhea for days.

Will check in regularly from here on out.

Oh, bloggy-poo, I miss you so!

2007-07-11T11:41:00.000-10:00

Alright, here's the deal. I figured out internet with my computer. But then I realized that I lost my cord to upload photos. I want to kill myself.

Instead, I'm going to attempt to explain what we've been doing, without the use of photos as my guide.

So, first of all, Joey's mom, sister, and brother came to visit us in Portland. It was really great to be with them. They're wonderful people and we just had so much fun. His mom is so sweet and would kick me out of the kitchen and cook and do dishes and just do everything she could to help out. His sister and brother are both so funny. They alternately had me cracking up the whole time.

Then, we all came down to the vineyard. The vineyard is owned by my parents, and it is in Winston, Oregon on the Umpqua River.

The day after we got here, we celebrated Talula's 1st birthday. We had Hawaiian food and it was very low-key and mellow.

We just sort of hung out while Joey's family was still here. His sister ended up being a total natural at fishing and caught tons of bass. His brother had fun swimming in the river with Tania. They all had fun picking cherries and raspberries at the orchard next door.

It was really sad when when they left, but we plan to visit them in Phoenix for Christmas.

After Joey's family left, Joey got into working. He's helping to build a barn and winery, along with a million other vineyard projects. I have worked pruning in the vineyard a bit. It's a bit difficult with Lu, but it can be done. I rotate between carrying her on my back in an Ergo and letting her play in her wagon.

We got 6 chickens: 2 rooster and 4 egg-laying hens. They're cute and hilarious. We planted an enormous garden with corn, tomatoes, squash, peppers...ummm...and more. We're planting herbs in half wine barrels and we have lettuce in the greenhouse planter box.

Every day, we wake up early and Joey goes to work. Then Talula and I have our walk around the vineyard. On our walk, we pass by two pigs, a bunch of horses, and sometimes a whole herd of cows. If we walk off the vineyard property, we can see lambs and sheep and goats. Sometimes we stop to say hello to Joey when he's working. Our kitty comes with us on the walk too. Then we feed our chickens. I've tried out all kinds of fruit and vegetable treats on them. They love green onions and watermelon.

We brought a little pool down by the river and poured sand over the rocks so that Talula can have a little play area. We usually go down there in the afternoons, because that's when it gets hot. It can be a good 20 degrees cooler by the river.

In the evenings, we drink wine and play cribbage. It's quite a life here.

It is very..."rustic"...shall we say? There aren't any buildings. It's a bunch of trailers. Yes, like a trailer park. And there's a bunch of crap everywhere, just like a trailer park. But I'm really proud of how far my parents have come here. When they bought this land, it was a former cantaloupe farm with nothing on it but a trailer pushed halfway into the river. They planted their first cuttings in 2000, and have had, I believe, 5 harvest years since. They have won awards for their Merlot and Syrah. Even thought the conditions are pioneer-like, it's sort of exciting. They rigged the irrigation system from the river, initially, and now have fresh water tanks for bathing and doing dishes and stuff. Their first toilet was a chair with a hole cut in it, placed over a composting pot! Then they graduated to an outhouse, which is still here, but they now have flushing toilets. You still can't flush toilet paper, but it's a good system. All the waste is turned back into dirt.

What I love about being here is that my parents don't just go out and buy things without thinking of how they can do it better for less money. It's a very pioneer-like. I've realized, too, that building a farm property takes so much work and time. You can't just throw out 15 ideas and expect them to happen over night.

We have been talking about ways to go organic and green. These issues are very important to me and my parents are totally open to it. I'll have to post later about our plans.

My darling daughter, Tania, has been on the east coast for the past two weeks. She flew into New York, then road tripped down to North Carolina. She's coming back today, and I am so excited to see her sweet little face.

Well, I am sure I am leaving out a ton. I will hopefully get that damn cord soon so I can put photos up.

Good day, sir!

For the sake of not killing my blog dead

2007-07-03T12:38:00.000-10:00

I have yet to hook up my computer since coming down to the vineyard, and I just got my camera charger back. I have a ton of photos to share, but that will have to happen later.

The vineyard is great. There's a lot of this, of course:

But in this small rural town, there's also a lot of this:

And this:

But we've been really busy getting settled in, having a birthday party, building a barn, planting a huge vegetable garden, raising chickens, pruning the grape vines, seeing Tania off to New York for a trip, and all kinds of other stuff. I'm hoping to get back into the swing of the blog thing soon enough. Take heart, dear reader.

Dr. Jekyl and Baby Lu

2007-06-19T05:01:00.000-10:00

On any given morning, Lu wakes up happy and smiling.

But if I put her in an adorable dress, she starts to get suspicious. "We're going somewhere, aren't we?" she asks, tears welling up in her eyes, "Somewhere that has people." I tell her yes, that we're going to a playdate for her and the other babies who are turning one.

"No! No!" she screams. "You know how I feel about crowds! All those smiling mothers and drooling babies! Put your purse down! Let's stay home! Noooooooooooooooooooo!!!"

"I am not pleased. You could at least bring me a martini and a valium to take the edge off."

"Well, fine. I'll just sleep then. I'd like your word that when I wake up, we'll be home, thank you very much."

"What? We're still here? What did I tell you about when I woke up? Take me home!"

"Help! This person is attacking me! How dare you stand by and just watch! No, wait, that's good, take photos! I may need them later if I decide to sue!"

"Help me!"

"Hello, babies. After this I'm out of here. So look and the camera and let's get this over with."

And five minutes after we got home:

God let us out of hell and into purgatory

2007-06-14T10:02:00.000-10:00

Purgatory is sooooo much better than hell. In hell, I was woken up every five minutes throughout the night. Each time I would be just about to doze off, loud demon shrieking would slap me upside the head. In purgatory, I get actual two-hour blocks of sleep throughout the night, and only one session of uncontrollable crying until teething tablets have done their magic. In hell, coffee made me feel like a crackhead and I cried when I walked into my messy living room. In purgatory, coffee works like a charm and I actually clean the messy living room instead of feeling victimized by it.

Amazingly, the whole time I was in hell, Talula pretended like nothing weird was going on. While it was daytime, that is. Nighttime was a different story. But isn't that how all creatures of darkness work? Vampires, werewolves, babies. Unfettered by nighttime, Talula made the cat her daytime victim.

She was also undeterred from maximum enjoyment of Teletubbies.

She did not, however, appreciate any of my attempts to joke with her during these trying times. I was like, "Knock, knock."

And she was like, "Who's there?"

And I was all, "Banana."

She looked at me, all skeptical, and was like, "Banana who?"

I said, "Knock, knock."

Confused, she's all, "Who's there?"

And I'm all, "Banana!"

And she's like, "Banana who?"

And I laugh knowingly to myself, saying, "Knock, knock."

And she's getting pissed, like, "WHO'S THERE???"

So I say, "Orange."

And she's thinking, WTF? "Orange who?"

And I'm all, "Orange you glad I didn't say banana again!?"

And she's like, "You're not my real mom! I hate you! Your jokes are dumb!"

Sheesh.

Tania has been doing one of the three things that her stereotypical white girl mother cannot do. She's been hula hooping. I also can't dance or jump.

And she's been building little villages around the house. See the bridge? Her main characters live just outside the town so they don't have to mix with the common folk. And that basket behind her is a church. She said everyone lays on the ground and prays for two hours a day, but that they don't force others to pray or go to church. I don't know where she's getting this from. We're borderline atheists.

Teeth are torturing us the sleep deprivation way

2007-06-10T07:02:00.000-10:00

And we're about to confess everything. Send help.

Lu has decided that she needs to hold on to this bear to feel okay about life. She needs him when she sleeps. Sometimes, she'll wake up crying in the middle of the night until I get him for her.

She needs him when she nurses. Sometimes she likes to whack me in the head with him while she nurses. It's humiliating.

Since she found Mr. Bear, she's decided that she hates her baby doll. To demonstrate her hatred in a convincing way, she likes to sit on her and beat her in the head with a red ball. Don't be fooled by Lu's sweet face. She's got a sinister side to her.

She plays sweet and coy and innocent very well, oh yes.

And then all of sudden, she's like, "Psht! That's ridiculous! Do you take me for some kind of fool?"

Yeah, watch out for her.

SO yesterday, Mama made a couple of pillowcase dresses. Here's one of them. This is Lu's tortured supermodel pose. Notice the tear under her eye. She's so tired of being just another pretty face. She's thinking of starting her own line of beauty products or yoga gear to prove that she's also quite business savvy.

Yeah, it's been a boring week.

So much socializing...no wonder I got mastitis.

2007-06-05T02:55:00.000-10:00

I don't mean to pour salt on an old wound here with this photo, but it's a cute one. The toy in Talula's mouth was lost later that day, and it was a favorite of her boyfriend's mom, who may or may not be reading this blog. And well, it was pretty much my fault that it was lost, because when said boyfriend dropped the toy on the walk home, said boyfriend's mom wisely tried to put it away, but yours truly suggested that he might still want it. She hesitated, then ignored her own good judgment and gave the boy his toy. Moments later...no toy. I swear to replace the toy. I swear it.

Tania is actually doing a free-form flip here and I photoshopped the bar in for safety reasons. I didn't want anyone else's kid to see this and think that they can pull ninja moves too. Liability issues, ugh.

We went to the Portland Mothering Dot Commune picnic on Saturday. It was fun, fun, fun, everybody agrees. And yes, I meet my friends online. It's better than real life, because you can decide whether or not you like someone before actually meeting them. None of these 'getting to know you' shenanigans. I should have started this in my teens. It would have saved me a lot of trouble. Unless, of course, I met one of those teenagers online who is actually a 56-year-old plumber named Carl who wants to meet me at "Mickey D's" for a "Coke or a sundae."

Anywayyy, here Talula is, stealing her boyfriend's toy, and then looking at me to help her when he sticks up for himself and tries to get his dang toy back. Sheesh. Women.

But look at how he really knows how to talk to a lady. She's all trying to play coy, but you can totally tell that she's interested. I mean, who wouldn't be with the hat and the necklace with the no shirt...damn...

And trying to get in good with the mom? Nice move buddy. We'll talk dowry later.

On Sunday, we went to Krueger's Farm on Sauvie Island to pick strawberries. We went with a group of lovely friends who didn't make it into any of our photos. We didn't make it into any of theirs either though.

Off topic, but I saw this handsome man there. I just had to take his photo. Oh my God, he's hot.

I think he brought this adorable girl with him.

So, when I took this photo, I was like, "Come on, Tania. Open your eyes and smile." And she was all, "Mom, the sun is in my eyes." And I was like, "Oh, come on!" thinking she was being so dramatic, "Okay, okay, I'll put my shadow over your face. Geez."

And then? Oh, is that the sun that you're talking about? Wow, it's pretty bright.

Later, Talula stole her friend's sippy cup. She was so pleased with herself. Let's hope this doesn't lead to a lifetime of petty theft. As someone who is half-pirate, I would be displeased with anything less than grand piracy.

Tania climbed a tree, which is my favorite thing that kids do.

And oh my God. There's that handsome man again. How's my hair?

We picked six pounds of strawberries. They're still sitting in my refrigerator thinking about what they want to become. Some of them will become a smoothie this morning. Some of them will become some jam for Tania.

That is, unless this little monkey doesn't eat them all first.

She a sneaky one, that gal. With strawberry juice all over her, she knows Mama ain't letting her go in the house yet. But she looks to her right.

Then looks to her left, smiling and making cute faces all the time, so as to distract me.

And then she goes for the door, but ha! I catch her. Because her ninja training is not yet complete, but mine is.

She gets hosed off, but she's not going down without a fight. She'll eat that spray nozzle just off principle.

I had to share this even though.

2007-05-29T15:52:00.000-10:00

Even though I already posted today, that is.

Skip to My Lu, My Dahling.

2007-05-29T07:51:00.000-10:00

I only have photos of Lu, because Tania has been Captaine Sociale lately. She has also taken to forbidding picture-taking lately. She even called me the paparazzi. She just wants to be left alone and have a normal life. Why am I so intrigued by her private life, she wants to know? She threatened to file a lawsuit for an injunction against all future photo use. I'll keep you updated.

Lu is still into working the paparazzi to further her career.

She's really obsessed with Daddy lately. She totally hates me. I think she's been watching too much Family Guy.

Okay, watch closely, or you'll miss it.

Did you see that? No, you probably missed it. I think I've mentioned before that we're part ninja. We move too quickly for cameras. We're also part pirate. We like to take things from people.

Here, you can't see anything. That's because there's camouflage. Have you ever seen a truck or something painted in camouflage? No! You haven't! Because it's camouflage. So you can't see my wrap here, or Lu hiding underneath it, but trust me, they're both there.

See? There she is.

I look away for two seconds, and my little ninja has finished the dishes and is starting the dishwasher. What a peach.

After I took this photo, I ate her. I couldn't help it. Nobody should be that cute.

Luckily, she came back to life, albeit as a stuffy-nosed screaming zombie who keeps threatening to eat our brains (apparently, she can smell them), but we're thankful.

Wow, a year ago we barbecued babies!

2007-05-25T08:35:00.000-10:00

Or, at least that's what people thought we'd be doing when they got invitations to a Baby Barbecue. Boy were they disappointed when they came over and found out what we were really doing.

We painted faces.

Made mischief.

Caught fishies.

Did slip n' slide.

Tie-dyed and painted baby onesies.

Waddled around.

Smiled a lot.

And opened presents.

It was a good day.

I think I ate too much cheese last night

2007-05-20T09:03:00.000-10:00

But that doesn't have anything to do with this post. Oooh, my stomach hurts.

Anyway, is my baby cute or what!? Da-da picked her a flower and put it behind her ear. Why does everyone think she's a boy? She totally looks like a girl.

This man is pretty damn handsome. I think I'll take him home with me. As if he'd ever be interested in little old me. A girl can dream, can't she?

We went to Sellwood Park the other day just to hang out and be outside. It was a lovely day. We played cards and did the crossword puzzle. Tania read to Lu, and Lu played with her toys.

Of course, playing the drums is lots of fun.

But whacking Daddy on the butt is even more fun.

And we ate some watermelon. I believe it was Lu's first taste of the glorious fruit.

Tania loves watermelon more than she loves life. I told her that if she loved watermelon so much, maybe she should marry a watermelon. She gave me this look.

(Oh, and a little note to self: Next time, buy the watermelon that has seeds! That way, you can tell your kids that if they swallow a seed, a watermelon patch will grow in their stomachs.)

Here's some more of what Lu has been up to:

Lu: Kitty. Sitting there so smug. I'll teach you a lesson, you wretched kitty. Always taunting me with your furriness, never letting me pet you. If I. Could just. If only. Oh, I'll get you, you kitty.

Kitty: Does that foolish creature actually think I can't see her? I'll let her get a little closer, just so that it crushes her that much more when I scurry away to safety. *chuckle, chuckle*

Lu: Crap! I've been spotted! I'll get you anyway!

Kitty: Ha, ha! You think you're quick enough, short stuff?

Lu: Doh! Foiled again! Perhaps I can corner her!

Kitty: You fool! Don't you know I'm a ninja-cat? I'm quick, like the wind!

Lu: I've almost got you, you feline trouble-maker!

Kitty: Almost got me, indeed! Do I look worried to you?

Lu: I'll get you next time, Kitty. But I think I've just found the way to escape from this hellhole.

Kitty: You'll have to become quicker than that if you're ever to have any hope of catching me. I hardly broke a sweat evading your grasp.

We picked this magnificent rose yesterday. It smells like heaven. Lu is in love with it, and spends a few minutes at a time waving at it.

Yesterday, Joey and Tania made an epic breakfast. It was de-effin-licious.

And that's pretty much it for the past few days. Life is pretty boring when you have sick kids. I almost got sick too, but I drank orange juice with echinacea all day long and it seems to have passed. Joey was not so lucky. Neither was Tania.

Business Candice thanks you for your time

2007-05-17T08:05:00.000-10:00

She also carries a briefcase with nothing in it but paper. She also finds your work fascinating. And her one weakness is that she's a workaholic. She just cannot rest until the job is completed. Will you hire Business Candice? We shall see if Business Candice is hireable.

Tania has been reading the Little House on the Prairie series, and Frontier House. She decided that she wants to be a pioneer, so she built a covered wagon.

And she set off west to squat on some land for five years so that she can one day own it.

We'll miss her. Oh, oops! She lost some cargo. The stick goes in the tire spokes to act as a brake.

Wait a minute, do you notice anything strange here?

It's a stowaway!

Lu's just been eating paper without her pants on lately, you know, the usual.

And by the way, our kitty is a total princess. She prefers to lounge on people. Laps are not good enough. They must bend down to show their reverence for her while she lounges on their shoulders.

Or, on clean laundry.

Good day, sir.

I like eating tuna-noodle casserole very much.

2007-05-11T11:54:00.000-10:00

I can't believe the weather has been so nice. It's been all sunshine and lemonade. We've been all about picnics. And making fashion statements. Like the statement: 1985 was the best year EVER, and The Human League RULEZ!!!

We saw our friends at the park one day. Here Tania is instructing the babies about when the revolution will take place. I don't know, something about corn and children no parents. I wasn't paying attention.

Here, she's leaning in really close and I could barely make out what she was saying. The only phrase I can be sure that I heard was "machetes are under the bed." Oh well.

Lu's favorite toys of late are kitchen dishes and utensils. We have to bring them everywhere.

Yesterday, we went to a place called Keana's Candyland. It's a house that is completely decorated like a gingerbread house and they sell candy and toys and baked goods there. They also serve breakfast and lunch. We had cheeseburgers. I should have taken better and more pictures, but Lu was really a handful, so I didn't get to. But here are a few of the girls sitting at our table. You can see parts of an elaborate mural in the background.

Afterward, we went and hung out at Laurelhurst Park. It was really sunny, sunscreen-worthy.

Well, it turned out that Lu was cranky for a reason. She's really sick. We were up all night, and she's really not herself today. Please keep her in your thoughts. She's really miserable.

I'm making tuna-noodle casserole for dinner. Yum.

Hey, lucky you! I'm on a posting extravaganza!

2007-05-08T09:35:00.000-10:00

I wanted to publicly apologize for insinuating that the weather forecaster was a liar. Alright, I didn't insinuate it; I said it straight out. And I was wrong. I'm not to big to admit that. It actually became gloriously sunny just minutes after I called him a liar. But Tania was sick. Vomit-sick. So I sat inside looking longingly out the window until Tania said, "Mom, I feel much better. Can we go to the park?" I said yes. Sorry to the kids at the park if you get sick. It was selfish of me, but I could not help myself. And she really was better. Hasn't thrown up since. And she never had a fever. So there.

While Tania did spinny-spin-spin...

Lu struck a couple of cute poses...

And played with the hottest baby toy of the season, a plastic water bottle.

Our kitty followed us to the park, so we fed her cat food out of my shoe. She refused to eat cat food off of the ground. Hmph, felines. So friggin' prissy.

Here's an homage to our beloved Brooklyn Park. It's so adorable. And during the summer, they set up slip n' slide down the hill. How fun is that?

Today is another pretty day, but here I am in the house. We have soccer today, and Tania just went with a friend downtown to run some errands. I am trying to make something special for Tania and will post a picture when I am finished.

I think the weather forecasters tell lies

2007-05-07T06:22:00.000-10:00

I've decided that I don't like thinking up names for blog entries that have to relate to the entry, so I'm going to just have the title be the thought in my head at the moment I sit down to type. So much pressure lifted!

Things we did over the past few days:

-Hot date - Ate delicious German food at the Berlin Inn, then shot pool at the Bear Paw. Had a great time, and Talula did great with our friend.
-Tania had a sleepover at her friend's house. She had a lot of fun, but while she was gone, I had a dream that I got a phone call to pick her up because she had cheated at a board game and they didn't tolerate cheating in their home. Is that funny, or what?
-Tried to watch "The Aviator". It was too long.
-Tania went roller skating with Joey, her friend, and her friend's dad.
-Went to Fabric Depot and bought many treasures, including this piece of fabric to make this wrap:

I can do the high back carry! It's not as tucked under her butt as it should be in this photo, but it does the trick. She loves being up there and looking over my shoulder.
-Went to a birthday party for one of Talula's baby friends. Good times. It ended up that there was a peace rally at the same park. They had free face painting and jumping castles.

-Joey has been helping a lot with Lu. I got to sleep in until 9:30 while he watched her. Here she is riding with him and playing with, what else? A bottle of Advil wrapped in a sock.

-We've been spending time outside when we can. Tania found a mushroom in one of my containers.

-I jogged...twice.
-We barbecued...twice.

And that's your weekend update.

It is supposed to be hot and sunny today, but I have yet to see the sun at almost 10:00 a.m. Sun! Show yourself, coward!

Ice cubes are falling from the sky

2007-05-03T13:50:00.000-10:00

Yes, it's true. Yesterday, giant ice cubes fell from the sky. But the few days before that, the weather was quite nice, and we were able to get outside and do fun things.

Like attack little babies when they least expect it.

Here she is, innocently playing with her toes and talking to herself. Not suspecting that in the blink of an eye, the turn of the head...bam! Something could happen.

Like flowers. Someone could just walk up and dump two handfuls of flowers on your head. Ha! You didn't even see that coming. Cause I'm quick. Like a ninja.

Tania decided to finally tap into our walnut supply. She just poured them out onto the sidewalk and started crunching them with her feet. Using a hammer is too time-consuming, you see, and nut-crackers are for sissies. We're not sissies. We're ninjas. And pirates.

Then we had to squat down and sift through the ruins for the good stuff.

But the ants came. They're quick little buggers. And they're organized. Like ninjas.

This squirrel came later to see what we'd missed.

I mentioned that I come from a family of ninjas and pirates, but I forgot to mention that my great-great-great uncle was half monkey. It's a recessive gene, but it seems to have resurfaced in my kids.

I've been makin' things. This time I made little baby shoes. The sole is made out of leather. I cut up a leather jacket I hadn't worn in years. And the lining and upper is made out of flannel.

I made this cute pair with strawberries.

And this cute pair with ducks. I thought they should face Lu when I sewed them on, but now that seems stupid.

But actually, buttons were a stupid idea, period. Because babies love to play with buttons.

And try to eat them.

Miss Lula has been quite the handful lately. She's never content to sit still anymore. She always has to be getting into something. But, the upside is that she is really able to learn cool things now. Like disco finger. Too bad I couldn't get it on camera.

She's really got disco fever. Maybe it's because her sister dances with her all the time.

Well, Joey and I are supposed to have our first date tonight, post-baby. I don't remember if I mentioned that it was supposed to happen last week, but the babysitting fell through. So, I hope we have a good time and that Talula doesn't cry. I'm scared. Somebody hold me.

Bye-Bye, April! Hello, May.

2007-04-30T04:59:00.000-10:00

Well, it's been over a week, so I figured I might as well post something.

Things we did this week:

-went fabric shopping
-went to Goodwill
-went to OMSI
-went to farmer's market
-went to Saturday market
-went to the park
-cut up wool sweaters and leather jackets
-went garage sale-ing
-ate sushi
-barbecued
-watched "Anne of Green Gables"
-watched "Bobby"
-watched "Million Dollar Baby"
-learned how to wave

Some photos:

At Omsi. I just love the look on kids' faces when they're twirling about. The kids are dressed up in stingray and lizard costumes and dancing around to Brazilian music. Well, not so much dancing, but more like running and jumping.

Playing in the sand area at OMSI.

Even the babies have a place to play at OMSI. They liked the fishies.

All my cut-up sweaters. Now all I have to do is find time to sew.

My fave garage sale find.

Tania's fave garage sale find. She is now a kid with her own computer. My how things have changed since I was a kid.

This is how I try to get Talula to wave: "Hi, Lu! Hi, hi, hi, hi, hi, hi, hi. Hi, hi, hi, hi, hi, hi, hi. Hi, hi, hi, hi, hi, hi, hi. Hi, hi, hi, hi, hi, hi, hi. Hi, hi, hi, hi, hi, hi, hi. Hi, hi, hi, hi, hi, hi, hi. Hi, hi, hi, hi, hi, hi, hi. Hi, hi, hi, hi, hi, hi, hi. Hi, hi, hi, hi, hi, hi, hi. Hi, hi, hi, hi, hi, hi, hi. Hi, hi, hi, hi, hi, hi, hi. Hi, hi, hi, hi, hi, hi, hi. Hi, hi, hi, hi, hi, hi, hi. Hi, hi, hi, hi, hi, hi, hi. Hi, hi, hi, hi, hi, hi, hi. Hi, hi, hi, hi, hi, hi, hi. Hi, hi, hi, hi, hi, hi, hi. Hi, hi, hi, hi, hi, hi, hi. Hi, hi, hi, hi, hi, hi, hi. Hi, hi, hi, hi, hi, hi, hi. Hi, hi, hi, hi, hi, hi, hi. Hi, hi, hi, hi, hi, hi, hi. Hi, hi, hi, hi, hi, hi, hi. Hi, hi, hi, hi, hi, hi, hi. Hi, hi, hi, hi, hi, hi, hi. Hi, hi, hi, hi, hi, hi, hi. Hi, hi, hi, hi, hi, hi, hi. Hi, hi, hi, hi, hi, hi, hi. Hi, hi, hi, hi, hi, hi, hi. Hi, hi, hi, hi, hi, hi, hi. Hi, hi, hi, hi, hi, hi, hi. Hi, hi, hi, hi, hi, hi, hi. Hi, hi, hi, hi, hi, hi, hi. Hi, hi, hi, hi, hi, hi, hi. Hi, hi, hi, hi, hi, hi, hi."

"Wave, wave to Mama. Wave, wave to Mama. Wave, wave to Mama. Wave, wave to Mama. Wave, wave to Mama. Wave, wave to Mama. Wave, wave to Mama. Wave, wave to Mama. Wave, wave to Mama. Wave, wave to Mama. Wave, wave to Mama. Wave, wave to Mama. Wave, wave to Mama. Wave, wave to Mama. Wave, wave to Mama. Wave, wave to Mama. Wave, wave to Mama. Wave, wave to Mama. Wave, wave to Mama. Wave, wave to Mama. Wave, wave to Mama. Wave, wave to Mama. Wave, wave to Mama. Wave, wave to Mama. Wave, wave to Mama. Wave, wave to Mama."

"Yay! You did it! Yay!"

"Oh crap, are you coming to get me?"

"AAAAA!!!!! Retreat! Retreat!!!"

"Must escape! Somebody helllllp meeeee!!!!!"

Multnomah Falls

2007-04-21T11:21:00.000-10:00

Yesterday, we drove to Multnomah Falls. It's about 40 minutes east of Portland, and the drive is along the beautiful Columbia River, which separates Oregon and Washington. The falls are spectacular at over 600 feet high.

Here is the bottom waterfall.

And here is the top waterfall. Apparently, the water comes from Multnomah Creek, along with some rain and melted snow.

Here is a very cold Tania.

We got her heavy jacket from the car. Ahhh...much better.

We hiked up to the bridge that you saw in the previous photos. Here's the view looking down.

This is a little lookout a few yards up from the big bridge. We were getting sprayed with the mist of the waterfall. I was really cold. Can you tell?

This is looking up at the very top from the little lookout. It was pretty amazing. We talked about what it would be like to be the first people to discover this place. It sort of touristy these days, but can you imagine happening upon this as an explorer or something? We also talked about how small it made us feel. The force of the waterfall was really powerful. There's no way you could swim underneath it.

Tania found a hide-out, as she always does. She's been pretending she's a Native American lately. It's funny, because I used to do the same thing when I was a kid. I would gather little nuts and berries and pretend they were my food. Joey and I were debating whether this is an innate instinct for girls, gathering. It's interesting to think about, because wayyy back when humans were nomadic, it was usually the women and children who gathered. So we might be born to gather. That would sure explain why women love to shop so much. And if men were born to hunt, well, that would explain why they're so focused when they shop. In and out.

We had a snack and a beer at the restaurant at the bottom of the falls.

It was still gorgeous outside, so we couldn't bear the thought of going home. So we went to Laurelhurst Park. Tons of people were there, taking advantage of the sunny day.

Tania did some writing.

And some branch swinging.

And some branch shaking.

Joey and Lu did some dancing.

I sat and stared at trees, thinking about how sad it was that I couldn't capture the beauty of the sunlight shining through the leaves with my camera. You'll just have to visit the park for yourself. Maybe I need to get a better camera. I really have been wanting to step up the photography. I used to be really good long ago. I almost became a photographer, but instead, I went to stupid law school! Oh, to go back in time. But really, I made some great friends in law school that are totally worth the debt.

Someone linked to this cartoon on one of the boards I frequent. I thought it was funny, so here you go.

OMSI Day

2007-04-19T13:20:00.000-10:00

We went to OMSI today. Always fun. We finally saw the Amazon exhibit. So cool. Here Tania is inside of an aquarium. Not with piranhas, but it was still neat. Wouldn't it be cool if there were piranhas? They'd be bumping against the glass trying to eat her head.

Here she is playing some sort of game that teaches about how the Amazon changed over meelions of years. It actually used to come out on the west side of South America, but eventually the Andes mountains grew and diverted the river north.

Hubba, hubba!!!

We also saw a Planetarium show called Pacific Northwest Skies. It was pretty cool. We got to see all the constellations that we would see at night here if it weren't so damn cloudy. And if I would ever go outside at night when it's so damn cold all the time.

In other happenings, Tania has opened a cafe called Family Cafe.

I ate there and had a fabulous pizza, rainbow pasta, and cookies.

And some tea.

She was kind enough to give me a tour of her facilities. These are the beverages.

And this is the kitchen.

Now, I think her best business feature is that she'll deliver her food in a picnic basket to you. Lovely. However, I think she may need to develop a catchy marketing scheme. The one she has now consists of begging people to eat at her cafe and promising to make them whatever they want. it seems desperate is all I'm saying.

Lu has been sick, but she's truckin' on in all her snot-nosed glory.

I can't resist but tell the whole world (as if) that my husband, Joey, is at a math conference right now and he's really excited about it. Nerd alert! Nerd alert! I actually wanted to go with him, but didn't want to bring everybody. From what I gather, the conference is about mathematical principles in nature that make things aesthetically pleasing being applied to design to make homes and furniture aesthetically pleasing. I think it sounds really cool.

Tonight, we watch Borat.

My baby is growing up!

2007-04-16T08:35:00.000-10:00

My little baby has had a busy week. She has learned how to crawl, has been pulling herself up to stand, and has learned how to throw a tantrum. So her new routine is to crawl over to the table, try to pull herself up to grab scalding hot coffee or knives or grenades or huge bags of cocaine (you know, whatever we happen to have lying around), and then arch her back and cry in protest when we try to thwart her attempts. It seems though, that her new found freedom has her scared of what the real world will be like, because she wants me to sit on the ground with her while she explores. If I try to walk away to refill my scalding hot coffee or sharpen my knives, she yells in protest. Then she shoots her arms up for a holding and a hug. She pats my back when we hug. I pat hers too and say, "So nice, you're so nice." Then, when she holds her favorite baby doll, I say, "So nice, you're so nice," and she pats the baby.

She sleeps next to her favorite baby too.

And when she wakes up, she hugs her with hands and feet.

Now she has a little cold, and I have no clue where it came from.

Tania has been Miss Busypants recently. We had two homeschool park days, soccer, and a playdate with a friend last week. Plus, she went out to dinner with one of her grown-up friends, and played at another friend's house yesterday. The homeschool park days are fun, but they are new, so there aren't too many people yet. One of the events is at a $1 skating rink. It's pretty cool.

We went to "The Bins" last weekend. Holy crap, what an experience. I think the way it works is that Goodwill brings all the stuff that's been in each store for too long to this one place where you can sort through bins of crap and buy stuff by the pound. So the biggest weirdos in all of Portland show up to collect more crap for their cluttered homes. I can't even describe the madness that ensues when a new bin is wheeled out. People just dive in, frantically throwing stuff to the side and finding their buried treasures.

Anyway, it was a fun experience, and I got bookshelves, books, clothes, wool. Then we went to another thrift store where we got more things. I found pillowcases, to make dresses out of, and aprons. Then, we stopped at an estate sale on the way home! Yikes...no more spending for a while.

Now, I have a lot of crafting to do. I have more longies, dresses and curtains to sew. I'll be back soon with photos of my creations.

Makin' new things out of old things

2007-04-10T15:16:00.000-10:00

This...

...this...

...and this...

...became this...

...this...

...and this.

They are all 100% wool, so they can be used as soakers. The last ones are really soft lambswool. Aren't they cute? I love them.

Easter happenin's

2007-04-09T08:22:00.000-10:00

This was Lu's first Easter on the outside. We had a much more relaxed Easter than last year. We just had brunch and hung out. We did some spring cleaning and watched the Virgin Suicides. Good movie. Love Sofia Coppola. We had some Bloody Marys (wouldn't want to upset family tradition) and eggs benedict and latkes. Or, as Joey thinks they are called, plackis. I think his Polish mother may have renamed them.

Okay...I just googled Polish latke, and it says this on Wikipedia: "Though commonly associated with the Ashkenazi Jewish cuisine of Eastern Europe, they are not necessarily Jewish in origin. Areas like northeast Poland, for instance, know many varieties. A favorite Polish dish is placki węgierskie (placki po węgiersku) — potato pancakes stuffed with a thick, spicy Hungarian goulash." So I guess Joey's mother didn't make up the name. Oops. Falsely accused, ouch.

Back to Easter, it was nice to stick around home after a week of playdates left and right. I used to complaint about not doing anything. Now I feel overbooked. Things should calm down a bit now that Easter is over.

Other than Easter goings-on, we been eating lots of Cheerios.

We've been doing some Downward Facing Dog.

And some Cobra.

We've been pulling ourselves up to stand, albeit a wobbly stand.

We've been reading and eating toys.

And cuddling on our awesome new 70s couch with our awesome new rainbow crocheted blanket with our awesome new Hawaii-themed children's book found in a rural Oregon thrift shop.

Aistons...out.

I'm a...sewer...? Sew-er? Seamstress?

2007-04-03T06:23:00.000-10:00

Before I get to the bit about me being a sewer...sew-er...seamstress, let me first tell you that we went to our first ever homeschool park day. It was fun. Tania made some new friends that live in our area. Who knew that they existed? I'd say there were about fifteen parents and twenty to twenty-five kids that showed up. I was pretty amazed to see a park full of homeschoolers. I made a few friends too, although, mostly everyone seemed much more grown up than I am. I felt like a teenager, for some reason. Oh yeah, maybe it was because I was dressed like the teenagers who showed up. But I didn't feel like I fit in with the teenagers either for some reason. Oh yeah, because they're much, much thinner than I am.

Tania played a lot of chase and hide-and-seek. I guess homeschoolers have to make the most of each other when they get the chance. Time can't be wasted on anything that can be played solo. Here she is hiding behind me. Can you tell by the look in her eye how much fun she's having? Not that she hasn't made any friends here yet, but she hasn't been engaged in a large group setting for a long time.

Here are Tania and some others being chased on the playground.

I had to steal away and take a photo of this tree. I must have a hundred photos of pink trees. I am wholeheartedly in love with pink trees. I love the contrast of light pink with dark forest green. One day, I want to have a dark forest green colored house with pink trees in the front, and pink rose bushes too. Or peach. I haven't decided yet.

So, like I said...or...sew, like I said. Ha ha ha, I kill me with my wit! Okay, I wanted to get a sewing machine, so I called my mom and asked for advice on what to buy. She said, "Oh, I've got one for you. I bought it for eight dollars at a yard sale." Sweet! Am I the luckiest person alive, or what? People just gifting me left and right? Next thing you know, I'll win the lottery! Anyway, here is a photo of my new sewing machine. It's actually really old. Probably from the 70s or 80s, but it's really cute and it does its job.

I made these curtains yesterday. They're yellow gingham, and I love the way the sun shines through the window and lights up the bathroom through the yellow of the curtains and the green of the wine bottles.

We've also been planting things. This is my herb container. It has rosemary, cilantro, and chives, and I've since added lavender and thyme. We'll see if they get along with one another.

This is my flower box. It's the first project Joey built in school. I planted purple pansies, I think, and I can't recall what the other ones are. I guess I'll find out when they bloom.

This is my strawberry container, and I planted some daisies in the front to keep them company.

Tania likes gardening. She's helped us to pull weeds, and to plant, and she really likes the mist feature of our garden hose.

And of course, here's the gratuitous Lu photo. She's not actually crawling. She just scoots herself over to where she wants to be. She's trying to pull herself up to stand more than she's trying to crawl, so maybe she'll be one of those freakish kids who never crawl. Tania feels sorry for her because all the other babies are crawling. I don't think she feels terribly left out.

Today, we have soccer and I must clean things. The mess is getting ridiculous.

Livin' la vida vino

2007-03-30T08:24:00.000-10:00

We stayed at the Freed Estate vineyards from Monday through Wednesday. It was so much fun. We caught the train down to Eugene and my mom came and picked us up.

Waiting at the train station was sort of romantic. It's an old train station, and the entire interior is made of marble. It's not quite like the old days where people can see you off just outside the train, but there was an old crazy homeless lady who was frantically waving at the train as we passed her. Here are Tania and Talula at the station.

Traveling by train is really quite comfortable. Even a freakishly tall man like Joey could stretch his legs out. The seats are pretty large, and they recline quite a bit. The recline isn't like the insulting recline of an airplane seat.

Trains have dining cars and lounge cars. We ate lunch and had some drinkie-poos in the dining car. It was so lovely to sit and look at the scenery with my family.

We got to the vineyard around dinner time. Now, when I say that we stayed at a vineyard, you might think I am talking about some stately hotel-esque property. No. It's a cross between living in a trailer park and camping. My parents need to go through a lot of loopholes to be able to obtain permits to build on their property, so they live in trailers for now. Since they live right next to the Umpqua River, they're in the flood zone, plus their property is zoned for agriculture uses only. So, it's really "livin' off the grid." It was a wonderful few days of country living.

This is the deck that their friend Jim built. It has become the main hangout area. Notice the fireplace that my mom scored at a yard sale for $80. She talked them down from $150. That's my mom. She gets what she wants.

My 'rents on their deck with the beautiful Umpqua River in the background.

Tania and her Tutu and Granddad.

Lu tolerated baby jail much more happily than I thought she would. Everywhere is dirty and dusty, so you can't put a baby down anywhere. Baby jail was the solution.

My handsome man in front of the vines. During summer, they will be much more green and lush. Joey had such a great time being out there, doing farmer things. I think he's found his place in life.

The neighbors have peach trees, pear trees, and apple trees. I am not sure which have the pink blossoms, or which have the white blossoms, but they both sure are beautiful.

Tania and her little friend, M. Don't they look related? M.'s grandma, my mom's friend, has the most fabu sewing room. She has enough fabric to open a store, and she has top-of-the-line equipment. She sews, knits, crochets, quilts, ...you name it.

Tania and Tutu underneath the Freed Estate sign. The print is of a watercolor my mom painted. The same picture is on all of their wine bottles.

Joey and my dad pounding posts into the end of each row of vines. Jim is driving the tractor. Joey loved doing this work. He was so happy all day long.

Tania and her friends getting a ride on the four-wheeler from Tutu. We were visiting all of the neighborhood horses, cows, and sheep.

Tania and her friend G. jumping on the trampoline.

We visited a winery called Champagne Creek Cellars. My dad sells them grapes every year. Joey and I had a wine tasting and bought a bottle of Pinot Noir Reserve.

We picked up some old wine barrels to half and use as planters. Joey is loading them up into the truck. What you don't see here are the photos of us getting stuck in the mud after my dad tried to pull some sweet move. It took about an hour for the guys to tow us out.

Joey and Lu watching South Park in our trailer.

Tania planting pumpkin and squash seeds down by the river. The ground is a really good mix of soil and sand, very moist, and perfect for planting squash and pumpkin without having to take any real care of the plants.

My mom's new tractor. Isn't it cute?

Some seriously handsome man leaning on a John Deere. Ooh, I want to have his babies.

This is the laundry room. The large tank above it holds water, and the sun heats it because it is drawn to the dark color of the tank.

The shower is right next to the laundry facility. We have hot showers. We also have flushing toilets, after years of using an outhouse.

My dad built a greenhouse to keep cuttings in until they are ready for planting in the ground.

Vine cuttings to go in the greenhouse.

A couple of the trailers. Ours is the last one. I'm pretty sure the old owners used to cook meth in it, so we should probably not use it...

Tania driving the four-wheeler. She drives it all over the vineyard. She gave Lu and me a ride. That Tania sure is a thrill-seeker. She flies over bumps and has a need for speed.

It finally got sunny the last day we were there. The vineyard is so beautiful.

They label each row of grapes with a initial indicating the type of grape and the number of the row. This one is the 14th row of Syrah. They also grow Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Viognier, Chardonnay, and Tempranillo. Their Merlot has won a few awards, including the Oregon State Fair Bronze Medal. Their Syrah has been bought by several vineyards and made into very expensive wine.

This is a pump that irrigates water from the river. The river is where all of our running water comes from.

Tania in one of her hiding spots down by the river. This place is so easy to play at. It's so easy to imagine you are a fairy or a princess or anything you can think of!

On the drive home, we stopped at Henry Estates winery. It is a beautiful property, where they hold concerts and festivals and wine tastings during the summer. Their wine is too expensive.

Tania and Lu swinging on the playground at Henry Estates.

My mom and Lu swinging.

When we finally got home, my mom and Lu bonded over Cheerios.

After we ate some pizza, we finally took real showers and fell fast asleep. My parents left for Hawaii the next morning. We have decided that we are going to spend the summer down at the vineyard after Joey finishes school for the term. We are so excited to work hard and swim in the river and go to the local concerts, festivals, and wine tastings. It is going to be the best summer ever!

A Magical Sorceress Named Lu

2007-03-23T15:49:00.000-10:00

Once upon a time, there was a magical sorceress named Lu. She saw her visions through a crystal ball, but not how most witches saw into their crystal balls. No, this special creature had to bite her crystal ball to see the future.

One day, a wicked man came to ask Lu to tell him his future. He came dressed as a plain peasant man, and pretended that he was kind and meek when he spoke to the great sorceress Lu. But Lu said, "See here, wicked man. My crystal ball says that you're a no good and vile creature! How dare you try to fool me!"

The wicked man retorted with, "Well, that's not even a crystal ball at all! It's metal! How dare YOU try to fool ME!"

Lu laughed casually and said, "Touche, my friend. Touche."

The wicked man asked, "So you're not a magical sorceress after all?"

To which Lu replied nervously, "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Well," inquired the wicked man further, "does your stupid metal ball even work?"

Lu answered, "I don't really know, but look! It's shiny."

Indeed, it was shiny. But was it magic, Lu secretly wondered?

Lu was faced with a dilemma. If the ball wasn't magic, she should cast it away!

No wait! It's shiny! Lu could not part with the metal ball, magic or no magic.

But she had a great, super, amazing, awesome idea! She'd put on her magic hippie beanie! Surely it would help her to see the future.

Mwah-ha-ha! Lu laughed wickedly. Now, all the world's power was hers!

But her conscience would not allow her to stop thinking about her abandoned metal ball. What if it was magic?

And was the hat even magic? I mean, who wears fluorescent yellow anyway?

Oh, of course! Curses, curses! The wicked man had tricked her! He was after the magic metal ball and had distracted her with the blasted hat!

Stupid hat! Stupid, stupid!

Well, perhaps fluorescent yellow is okay, what with the 80s being so fashionable these days.

But I tell you, I pity the fool who messes with me! That wicked man is in deep trouble!

And with that, Lu put on her superhero cape.

But what would her plan be?

Ha ha! Of course! She would turn the wicked man into a pair of men's underwear...bikini briefs...no, a thong! Mwah-ha-ha!

All of the people of the village were so thrilled, that they rewarded the magical sorceress named Lu with thousands of toys.

At first, Lu was ecstatic! She was like, "Eff yeah!"

But the toys didn't make her happy for very long.

In fact, just three moons later, she was found sobbing on a pile of peasants' laundry.

And what happened in the end, you ask? Well, the magical sorceress named Lu was found by a handsome bearded king and a beautiful white-haired princess. They all lived happily ever after in a white castle, where they played hide-and-seek and watched movies every day.

Joey's day off

2007-03-22T11:53:00.000-10:00

The first day of spring was also Joey's first day off in a longgg time. And it was a beautiful day. We spent all day out on foot. I took photos.

But first. Look who lost another tooth.

Aren't toothless children simply adorable? It makes their cheeks look so much more pinchable, for some reason.

We got coffee and decided that it was the sort of day that you decide to take a detour, just to see what things you've been missing going the same route all the time. We found ourselves behind a warehouse, crossing train tracks. It was an undiscovered graffiti mecca.

Joey is a handsome, handsome man. He looks hot in front of graffiti.

Tania found some rocks to poke at, while Joey and I examined the graffiti more closely.

How fun is this homage to Bukowski? There's even a stencil of his face. See it?

This funny man is tickling someone's feet.

It's like an ostrich-bear-goat.

Just some cool looking stuff.

I like this writing, and I'm really liking characters like his one lately.

This was so funny! It has sort of a creepy Children of the Corn vibe to it. Or Boxcar Children gone bad.

More characters that I'm really into right now.

Darth Vader and paper cranes. Sweet.

Revenge of the hearta-pus! This should be in Heartopia! Bwa-ha-ha!!!

Well, after the graffiti, we walked on to visit several antique stores and children's stores. Here's my hot husband again wearing Talula in a baby carrier. (It's a Baby Hawk carrier.)

Could it be a better day to walk? Look at the sky!

And signs of spring were everywhere! Dandelions, flowers, squirrels, birds...they all came out to play.

It was a great day for swinging.

And a great day for sipping on an icy cold IPA.

And a nice day for having a fancy picnic outside.

Ahhh...we had such a great day. But alas, we are all sick now! Poor little Lu is all stuffed up and has been sleeping ever since we got home from a knitting group. She's woken up to nurse, but then she goes right back to sleep. I'm not feeling so hot myself, but I usually only get sick for a day, so I'm optimistic about it.

'Til next time.

We marched for peace

2007-03-18T15:47:00.000-10:00

We walked in the Portland Peace March today with some friends. It was a great experience. Thousands of people showed up, according to the news. We made shirts to wear so that we wouldn't have to carry signs. Tania's shirt was a huge hit. It said: "More candy, less war." A few strangers wanted to take pictures of her and a public access news station interviewed me because of her shirt. Talula's shirt said: "War is [picture of bananas]." Mine was a quote by Issac Asimov: "Violence is the first refuge of the incompetent."

Here are the girls at the Max station waiting for friends.

The three of us. I know, it couldn't have killed me to throw on a bit of lipstick or something. I'm Mrs. Frumpy McFrumpFrump.

The girls at the pre-walk pep-rally:

Lu, wondering why the world is the way that it is:

Tania had some fun waiting. There were clowns, dancers, bubbles, face-painting, and just about every weirdo you could find.

Some lady could tell that Tania was a little activist and gave her this sign to carry during the march.

Even Abraham Lincoln was there, holding a sign.

And then there was this guy:

When we finally starting walking, I realized how many people there were. In Hawaii, a few hundred people would show up to events like this. I was pretty amazed at the turnout here in Portland. It's part of the reason that I love this city. People care about issues deeply and are not too afraid or lazy to voice their opinions.

Afterward, we went and got something to eat. Talula was really hungry.

So that was our day today.

Other than that, I have been trying to make stuff lately. Like a stupid dumb stupid stupid scarf. Why, oh why, is knitting so stupid hard? I keep effing up and my yarn becomes useless from being raped over and over again. So I make these with the wool:

Of course, it's just the right size to fit in Talula's mouth, and boy does it break her heart when I take it from her.

Notice her necklace. It's what the cool kids call "woo-woo." It's an amber teething necklace. It's supposed to have magical powers to calm and soothe. It doesn't work by being chewed on, but just by its mere presence. I got one for Talula, one for Tania, and one for me. Why, you ask? Because we are all teething! I'm getting wisdoms (I know, what a freak!), Tania is getting adult molars, and Talula has just broken through some bottom teeth, bringing her to a total of four bottoms and no tops. Basically, my baby will soon look like a bulldog. It doesn't seem like the top ones are in sight, but maybe that's just the magical healing powers of the woo-woo jewels keeping things mellow.

I've also been making these:

Not the animals, the house. The top comes off, and I'm going to make some little peeps to put inside, and a little bag to keep everything in that folds out to be the lawn that the houses go on. I figure it will be a fun toy for toddlers and preschoolers who love to put things in little compartments and then take them all out and start over again.

Oh, I forgot to write about or take pictures at the ballet we went to see on Friday. It was really cute. It was a French ballet about a girl in love with a boy, and whose mother betroths her to a man she doesn't want to marry. It was a school performance, but the acting, dancing, and set were really high quality. I was really impressed.

Tania lost her toof

2007-03-15T17:00:00.000-10:00

Tania is wayyy behind kids her age in the tooth-losing department. She just lost her first top tooth a few days ago.

Some of her friends lost their top teeth a couple of years ago.

Anyway, not too much has been going on. Tania has been inventing things and playing with our neighbor. We played with some babies today. Talula is still trying to crawl. I am still trying to knit the same stupid scarf. What is wrong with me???

Tomorrow, we go to the ballet. We're seeing one called "La Fille Mal Gardee." We're excited.

Here's a picture of what sisters like to do together:

Good day, sir.

Uranus was discovered today

2007-03-13T07:18:00.000-10:00

Did you know that Uranus was discovered today? It's a wonderful day, because Uranus is my ruling planet and its name makes for many jokes. Here are "Images of Uranus and Its Moons." You can't make this stuff up. We celebrated today by going to OMSI's Kendall Planetarium and watching "Black Holes: The Other Side of Infinity." It's not about Uranus, but it's the best I could do. We were going to watch "Pacific Northwest Skies" but we didn't make it in time.

So, I haven't written for over a week, because I've been trying to get over my sadness about not going down to Eugene or the vineyard. Tania went and had a lot of fun, but Lu and I stayed home with Joey. Joey and I had some nice quality time together, but then I'd see stuff like this around the house and miss Tania:

Lu had to make due with other friends while Tania was gone:

She had some yogurt fun:

We had soccer today, and I found out that two of the kids in her class are homeschoolers! So we all have a playdate on Thursday! It's so absurd that I've never talked about it with these mothers before, but when you homeschool, sometimes avoiding conversation about it is preferable to hearing, "But what about socializaaaaationnnnn???"

Tomorrow, I think we may hit up OMSI again for the physics lab, and perhaps that other Planetarium show. It's Albert Einstein's birthday tomorrow, so we'll need to find some acceptable form of celebration.

Tania came home from the vineyard with a crapload of books. It's really weird, but some of them are based on the show Full House (you know, with Deej and Uncle Jesse) that I used to watch when I was a kid. I have been reading Anne of Green Gables as part of my Classics study. The Classics study is based on A Thomas Jefferson Education, which I've been meaning to write about here. I enjoyed the book, and I enjoyed that the author thinks children should largely be left alone until around age nine or ten. But it still doesn't sit entirely well with me. For one thing, it seemed like all educational value was placed on reading and writing, with no room for someone who wants to be a photographer or fashion designer or carpenter. It all seemed very, well, true to the Thomas Jefferson era of the rich white protestant landowner. It was very Christian too. Then I read A Thomas Jefferson Home Companion, and it was wayyy worse. Wayyy too Jesus-y for me. BUT. I did start to think about how I wanted to read all the Classics, and how I want the kids to have a rich environment where they are exposed to the Classics. I don't believe they are the only thing of value, and I will add some Classics of my own to the list, such as the Koran, the Bhagavad Gita, and the Vedas. But I do believe the two keys to learning are opportunity and interest. The books made me think about that and hold to that belief more firmly.

Insanely Beautiful Day!

2007-03-05T18:36:00.000-10:00

Oh my God! Today was the most gorgeous day! I swear, it really affected me. I feel like a groundhog that just woke up from a three-month nap. I got so much done, but we spent so much time outside too.

Today was "Tania's Day," which is a new invention. She gets to wake up and kick me off the 'puter while I make her the breakfast of her choice. And the day sort of goes like that.

I was finally able to get her highness off of the computer and out the door. (She's addicted to Stardoll. Don't go there. You'll be hooked too.) We went out to search for signs of spring. They were everywhere! Newly planted daffodils...(Isn't the new haircut adorable?)

A neighborhood kitty sunbathing...

A little wheelbarrow...

New flowers...

A teeny tiny flower...

Spring is on its way! We did two park sessions today because we just had to go back again. Tania took Lu down the slide...

And pushed her on the swing...

Ahhh, it was lovely. Joey came home for lunch, which was a surprise. We walked down to Edelweiss Sausage & Deli to have a beer and a sausage. It was the bomb. I could sit there all day drinking German lagers and eating sausage and kraut if...I had a nanny. That's a good reason to get a nanny.

Moving on, we spent the rest of the day lounging and returning to the park. Tania is now at the neighbor's house. They have a dance they've been working on, and they've been jumping rope too.

Tomorrow, my parents are driving up here to pick up the girls and me. We're going to Eugene and possibly to the vineyard for a few days too. Hopefully, we'll have some adventures to share.

Lu's World

2007-03-01T07:24:00.000-10:00

Lu got a new toy that she's super stoked on. We found it on Craigslist and rode the Max all the way out to Hillsboro to get it. It was a bitch to carry, but she loves it, so I think it was worth the trouble. It was only $8, and the lady we got it from also gave us a big bag of clothes. Actually, I think she's wearing the new clothes in most of these photos.

Here she is making a funny face, sort of a Bill Murray face. (Love him!) That's the toy.

Here, she's like, "Oh stop it! I do not look like Bill Murray! But don't you just love him?" (Yes.)

She's obsessed with little details lately, which clearly means that she's a genius.

Look! She sits in a rocking chair now. This is where she likes to knit and do the crossword and read trashy novels.

I can't help it. I still love to watch her sleep.

Lu and Joey. She's started saying, "Mamamamamama," so he's trying to slip her the subliminal "Dadadadadadada." Psh.

She plays with friends. He's half her age, but he might crawl before she does!

She has a nightgown with Minnie Mouse on it, and she has her own baby. Most of the time, she tries to eat its head or poke its eye.

In other news...our kitty is having kittens! All she wants to do is eat and sleep.

Interview with an Artist - Heartopia Exhibit

2007-02-28T09:48:00.000-10:00

I was able to get a rare interview with the critically acclaimed up-and-coming young artist, Tania Aiston. Tania has recently revealed her "Heartopia" exhibit exclusively at her home, and is kind enough to share it with you here.

Here is a photo of the young artist at her work station.

CA: How did you develop the concept of "Heartopia"?

TA: I drew a picture of a girl with heart-shaped pants, and then I had the idea of a heart-shaped world.

CA: Do you like hearts a lot?

TA: I like them a little bit, but I like stars more.

CA: Let's discuss the drawings. Can you tell me about this one?

TA: The three sisters, Hearty, Lane, and Seara went to a photo shoot and got their picture taken.

CA: How about this one?

TA: The children are protesting outside Sunday School, so the cops are there to keep the peace.
CA: Why are they protesting?

TA: Well, the teachers gave the kids free toys so that they would tell their parents they wanted to come to Sunday school, and so the kids went home and begged their parents to go to Sunday school and they begged so much they had to say yes. But when the kids went to Sunday school, there were no toys.

CA: Tell me about this drawing. Sorry the photo didn't come out very well.

TA: That is the first picture I drew with a red writing pen. I drew all her clothes heart-shaped.

CA: So your world has a queen. Is she nice? Tell me about her.

TA: She has one kid and a husband who hates pink, but hearts can only be red and pink. He loves blue and green, so he has a big problem. The queen lets people in her castle and the princes goes to school with Hearty, my main character. The queen is nice.

CA: This is a picture of The Coeur School. Coeur is French for heart. Are you interested in France?

TA: They learn the French language in Heartopia.

CA: This one is inside Hearty's house. Tell me about her house.

TA: She has two sisters and will be having a little brother. Hearty's father is a police officer and Hearty's mother is a stay-at-home mom. Her sister is Ceara, and she likes books so she found a job that paid her $7 and hour at a bookstore. Her other sister, Lane, is ten years old and goes to Coeur school just like her and is one of Hearty's best friends. The house is seven years old. When Hearty was born, they first moved inside of it. When Hearty's oldest sister was 12, she had friends over for her birthday party. When Ceara went to the bathroom, she found a surprise in the toilet - a frog!

CA: This is part of Hearty's house too? Is her room upstairs?

TA: Her house has three floors, and she and her sister, Lane, share a bedroom on the top floor. She has a play room and a bathroom.

CA: This is the grocery store. Is it different from grocery stores that we go to?

TA: It is not different at all. They have food samples and they give out prizes every year for who is the hundredth person to walk through the door. They have all organic healthy food.

CA: What is this picture of?

TA: That's the mall. It has a two-shoe train. The ship looks like a shoe. It can only hold two people and it moves on fake water. Hearty and her best friend, Ally, went to the mall and they rode on the two-shoe train. They thought it was very fun.

CA: Cool! They have a newspaper! Do you want to say anything about the newspaper?

TA: The newspaper is called The Heartogonian. It gives the latest news because in Heartopia, they only have one TV. It is at the mall in the TV room, and people come in and turn on movies that kids might like, and there's another TV that has grown-up shows on. It's just like the movies.

CA: All of Hearty's outfits. Are you into fashion?

TA: Yes, actually, I am. When I grow up, I want to be a fashion designer, and so, in some of the latest pictures, you'll see Hearty wearing some of these things.

CA: Tell me about this one.

TA: Hearty is in a ballet recital. She is one of the main characters. She is Princess Sarona and her two friends, Ally and Emily, are standing right next to her. Her other friend, Timothy, is watching them in the audience.

CA: Is this the playground?

TA: This is the playground, but Hearty's sister, Lane, is having her birthday there.

CA: Is this a restaurant?

TA: Yes. Hearty's sister, Lane, went to a restaurant with her friend and said that Hearty could come along too.

CA: Is this the disco?

TA: No.

CA: Why is there a disco ball?

TA: Because they just went to a dancing place, not the disco.

CA: What is this?

TA: This is at Hearty's birthday party. It was a pool party.

CA: Just like yours. Ooh! This one is cool! I like the dark sky. Is it night time?

TA: Yes, it is night time, around Christmas, because Hearty's birthday was that day and they put Christmas lights up. She helped her dad.

CA: This is the last one in the collection. Can you tell us about it?

TA: This is Hearty's friend Ally's house. Ally has a little brother named Zack. Zack is three years old. Ally is seven years old. Ally lives with her mother and her brother cause her dad died.

CA: She looks like she has a really cool backyard.

TA: She has a swing set and a merry-go-round and a little table to play on. Ally's family is rich.

CA: I really enjoyed hearing about your world, Heartopia. You drawings are very cool and pretty. I hope that next time you have an exhibit, we can discuss it and display the drawings here. Do you work with any other media?

TA: I use paint, clay, pastels, crayons, colored pencils, and anything else I find.

CA: Thank you for your time.

TA: Thank you for letting me explain my work.

Our somewhat boring lives

2007-02-22T12:48:00.000-10:00

I like to update every few days with pictures and such, but I feel like our lives are such a snoozer. Boooooringgggg. Let's see, we went to the park...

We went to soccer...

Tania loooooves soccer, by the way, and she has a mean kick.

Oh, Tania got a ton of new books recently, and at night she sits under a desk in our room, next to a nightlight, and reads and reads and reads. Today, Tania is out with her grandparents, who are in town. Shopping. Oh yes.

Here's what Tania and Lu do while I cook dinner...

And Lu has a new favorite toy...

Norton Anti-Virus, the gift that keeps on giving.

Anyway, things will get more exciting soon. I have a lot of plans.

Just Lu and me

2007-02-19T14:30:00.000-10:00

Tania spent the night in Vancouver with my parents, and Joey had work late and school early, so it was just Lu and me. We played. We did some holding. We had some boobies. We ate some ziti.

Check out this awesome set of blocks my mom brought for Lu. It's crocheted, and it used to be Tania's when she was a tiny tiger.

Lu liked them okay.

I think she likes her fashion book better.

But her favorite toy was a paper cup from Tania's party.

Anyway, we had fun, but missed Tania. She came back today, and my 'rents went down to the vineyard. We might see them in a couple of weeks, but who can really know what Pam and Mike will be up to? They could go fishing, or to wine events...they can't be tied down.

Also, today is Tania's real birthday, so I had to take a photo of her. My little 8-year-old, all grown up. Sniffle.

Birthday Party!

2007-02-18T07:30:00.000-10:00

Yesterday was Tania's birthday party. We had a lot of fun. We ate and had cake, then swam in this really cool pool. The room is heated, and the water is too. There's a huge slide. Here are some photos.

Everyone eating:

Lu sucking on a red bell pepper slice:

The fam:

Tutu, Talula, and Tania:

Blowing out candles:

Cupcake:

Girls on the playground after swimming:

Tania, seeing how high she can reach:

Lu's first time on the swing:

Afterward, we went out for pizza. Guess which vehicle we'd been driving around all day?

Tania had a really fun day, and is now off to help Tutu and Granddad bottle some wine in Vancouver, WA. I have to clean.

V-day, ice skating, and all that jazz

2007-02-16T12:01:00.000-10:00

Tania's an ice skating graduate.

Which means that she can skate without touching the wall, although, not terribly far away from it.

Mama's not sayin' anything, though. Like, "Stop hugging the wall!" or "Use your arms to balance!" or "Falling down isn't gonna kill you!" Nope. Mama's not sayin' a thing.

Except, "Smile!"

So, we don't really dooooo Valentine's Day around these parts. Commercialism, consumerism, blah, blah, blah. But we had sort of a nice, weird bonding day anyway. I helped Joey with a project he had due that evening for Interior Design. It was really fun working together, and when he gets frantic, I get really calm. We sort of balance each other out. It made me think about how important collaboration can be. I have always thought that I worked better on my own, and in some cases I do, but something really special can happen when the right people come together for the right project.

Today, the 'rents are coming in from Hawaii. This means we will no longer have monster truck. I think we'd better start looking for a car of our own. Monster truck is a pain in the ass anyway. She's a bitch to park, and she requires too much gas. Strangers hate monster truck and its driver. Strangers on bicycles especially hate monster truck. I've never seen so many middle fingers.

We are getting ready for Tania's birthday party. It's tomorrow. I'm making a vegan chocolate cake, and a whole array of little sandwiches, vegan and fishian (tuna). I'm excited to swim tomorrow. Yeehaw.

Playtime with Lu

2007-02-13T11:55:00.000-10:00

We haven't really been up to much, and when we go places, I've been forgetting the stupid camera. We've been prepping for Tania's birthday. We went to the Dollar Tree yesterday, and I bought 51 things. Party things, arts & crafts supplies, organizational items...I could not be stopped. We went to play at Mt. Scott Park yesterday. It's really pretty there. Me likes. Today we went to the Kennedy School, which is a former school bought and refurbished by the McMeniman brothers and turned into a hotel/movie theater/restaurant. We had a playdate there. It was fun.

Here are some photos.

The Beatles? Oh, I just looooove the Beatles!

This thing is delicious!

Along came a spider, and sat down beside her.

Best Sister Forever!

Baby mania. Lu is thinking about maybe crawling sometime soon.

That's all for now. Tryin' to stick to a schedule here!

Been Reminiscing...sniffle

2007-02-11T12:53:00.000-10:00

Tania will be 8 years old in a few days, and Talula is almost 8 months old. They had a little picnic today. They're getting so old. Wahhhh!!! So I busted out some pictures from a year ago to see how far they've come and how much they've changed.

I guess Lu has changed the most. She looked like this a year ago:

I looked like this. I have to say, I'm a pretty sexy pregnant broad, doing the crossword in my bikini. Hot damn!

I found this photograph of the bay we used to live on, Kaneohe Bay:

And this photo of Joey and Tania reading together at our old house. We used to drink rookie beer before we moved to the capital of brew-pubs:

I found this photo of Tania skating down the street at my mom's house:

I found her 7th birthday photos. She looks sooooo different to me. She's longer and thinner now, and her hair is a bit darker. This is Tania with her BFF. Oh, and that's my BFF in the background!

Tania with her BCF (Best Cousin Forever). They were sick of photos at this point, so they had to exaggerate the grin:

Pool fun:

And I found these gems too. We had a birthday party for Tania's baby. BFF and BCF were invited. Cake time:

Swimming:

Wahhh!!! I miss those little girls!

I hope they're always close.

Well, in another week, we'll have new birthday photos to post, but with all different people and in a new place. I'm so thankful that we have made friends, but miss the old ones so very much.