The question is not why the fish crossed the street, but HOW ...

Have you been to the WSU Puyallup Research & Extension Center?

Until today, I had not.

After today, I'll be back.

I'd heard about the extension ... that this is where the Master Gardeners train and this is where there's a demonstration garden and some cool research. Soil studies, rain gardens, permeable pavement, low-impact development, agriculture research and so much more. It's really quite incredible, this amazing resource that is just around the corner.

But I'd never been. Today was meant to be merely a meeting (a looooooooong meeting). At lunch one of the staffers offered to take us on a little walking tour to see a man-made pond. I wasn't going to go, but I did. Apparently a bunch of my friends finally did a few sun dances, and thus: sunshine ... GLORIOUS sunshine. A walk was required.

And wow.

I don't remember all the details, but the below photo is the pond. Apparently the fish and salamanders and frogs inside it ... got there on their own! Nature is amazing. No wildlife was planted by man, nor by woman. But birds or other wildlife that come in from the pond across the street or other places brought in fish eggs and frog eggs (apparently they don't own feather or hair brushes ... go figure) ... and wa-lah! Sticky eggs get from Point A to Point B. (And I thought this only happened with plant seeds.) Oh, and this pond has salamanders ... but the one across the street doesn't. So weird. And so awesome. And so beautiful.



And here is the view across the street.



It was a glorious, if short, lunchtime walk in the sun.

Educational, too!


From the website:

An Urban Center Committed to Sustainable Communities

"Bridging the past to the future, providing research, instruction and outreach services through an interdisciplinary approach for the development of ecologically sound, socially responsible, and economically viable communities.

The Washington State University Puyallup Research and Extension Center unites a rich past of education and research with a critical and important need: the ability for institutions of higher education to develop sound science, instruction and outreach to meet the needs of future urban communities and their residents.

"Washington State University seeks to provide an exemplary teaching, research, and outreach environment that fosters the conservation of natural resources, supports and enhances social responsibility, addresses community and economic development, and follows environmental, social, and economic practices.

"The Puyallup Center connects the region to a world of possibilities creating sustainable social, economic, and ecological interdependencies through the community of Washington State University."

I like science ...

A simple gift

Today is a simple gift.

No matter your politics. Today, is a gift.

A simple gift.

And simply, a gift.

And so is tomorrow. And the day after that. And the day after that. Heck, yesterday was a gift (and that was a previous administration!)

Every day is a gift.

Every day that we have to share with loved ones. Every day that we have to make a difference in the lives around us. Every day that we have to make the world better. Every day that we have to breathe fresh air, eat good food, kiss our loves ones, hug our friends, read good writing, listen to music, appreciate art, dance because we want to, dig in the earth, make a choice ...

Every day is a gift.

It's a message that's been driven home for me, recently. From the loved ones I've mourned the past two years to the strange local events of the past week ...

Every day is a gift.

And thus, during today's inauguration of President Barack Obama, the performance of Air & Simple Gift gave me pause ...

The lyrics to the original, a 1848 Shaker tune:

'Tis the gift to be simple, 'tis the gift to be free,

'Tis the gift to come down where you ought to be,

And when we find ourselves in the place just right,

'Twill be in the valley of love and delight.

When true simplicity is gain'd,

To bow and to bend we shan't be asham'd,

To turn, turn will be our delight,

Till by turning, turning we come round right.

Every day is a gift.

And every day, I will seek to find what gift I can give to my loved ones, my community, and the world ...

Every day is a gift.

Enjoy.

Halloween might be a month gone, but the spirits ... they do linger

The holiday season is a bit rough this year. Last year, between July and December, I lost three grandmothers. Within less than a handful of months, my husband had lost his remaining grandparents as well. But sometimes you're not so sure how it's going to hit you. You're not sure how you're going to remember. And when you're hit with back to back sadness, you react a little different. You get a little numb. Well, at least I did. And it takes a little while to let go again.

It was a year ago Friday that the third of my grandmothers died. This one, she was also my second mom. I grew up with she and my grandfather down the hall. She was there to offer advice, a nightly hug, offer perspective, critique my writing, understand my poetry and so much more. Did I mention she was also the third grandmother to die within 6 months? I was in a bit of a daze of death by this point. Cried out. Griefed out. It still hit me ... but I kind of felt that the tears of the third were somehow less than the first. Each just as missed, me just as sad ... but simply dried out. In a daze. Or perhaps, I rather wonder, I was just unwilling to believe it was true.

But I'm making up for lost tears this last week or so ...

It started just before Thanksgiving.

I was minding my own business. Working. Working. Working. Listening to the radio online as I worked. And then it stopped.

It just stopped.

Silence.

For some folks, the internet going down might be a regular thing. But for us, it's a blessedly rare thing. But early in the afternoon, it went down. But I needed to focus, I needed some tunes to block out the background.

And so I plugged my headphones into my iPhone and clicked on the Dixie Chicks. All was swell and good until a certain song. A song about death. And grief. And missing loved ones. A song about a Silent House. A song that hits a little close. And I started to cry. Freeflow cry. And then it hit me ... Thanksgiving was later this year, and the last time I saw my grandma was just after 2007 Thanksgiving. Could it be? No. That would be too weird ... and yet it was true. It was the anniversary of the last time I saw my grandma alive. Perhaps even down to the hour. It totally snuck up on me. In a busy time of year where I can barely keep track of the days, my subconscious ... or the spirits ... wouldn't let me forget. I was a wreck the rest of the day. Good thing I didn't have any meetings ...

I managed through Thursday, the actually anniversary of her death. I was a bit nostalgic. A bit sad. But not a crying wreck. But then there was Friday ... I took Dec. 5 off. The kids had the day off school. The husband was out of town for training. The friend needed help with making her fundraiser chocolates. It was a good day to take a break. It wasn't until I was mid-light-crying in between chocolate batches, as I shared the pre-Thanksgiving tale, that I was reminded by a dear friend that, oddly, it was exactly a year ago that I was in her kitchen ... also making chocolates. And also crying. After this grandma's death last year, I took a day off to get it together. Quite dazed, I was in no shape for work. But didn't want to be left with my mind's thoughts uninterrupted, either, and so last year I was a last-minute volunteer. And this year, apparently I was back for a coincidental anniversary encore.

At least I was in a house where eerie grandmother moments were not foreign ...

I feel like the spirits decided to stay and play after this year's All Souls Day.

Barefoot in the kitchen, part VII: Grandma Vina's Chili

Made chili the other night. Oddly, while the children ofter rebel and protest "mixed up food," chili is one that has passed the test. This is a family recipe from my husband's side of the family. And the kids know it. When they asked "what's for dinner?" and I said "chili" ... the immediate next question was whether it was Grandma VINA's chili. When they were eating it, they wondered if this was how Grandma VINA ate it. Is this how Grandma VINA made it? Lordy children, yes. Or at least I will tell you this. I only minimally doctored the recipe. It was a double-batch, so I used some of my garden-fresh (yet frozen by me) homemade tomato sauce in replacement of half the canned tomato goods ... but they don't need to know that. They ate it. They loved it. The Boy asked for more. Yay for them willingly eating something other than ramen or macaroni and cheese. Boo for the fact that tomato products give me heart burn. Oh well, this stuff is yummy and worth it. :)

Grandma Vina's Chili
(pretty much add "more or less" to every ingredient on this list ... you can also add more and different beans and leave out the meat altogether if you're so inclined)

1 medium-sized onion
1-1/2 pounds of ground round steak or hamburger
1 (10-3/4 oz) can tomato soup
1 (15-16 oz) can of kidney beans (liquid and all)
1 (15 to 16 oz) can whole tomatoes
1 tsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt (t0 taste)
1/8 tsp. pepper (t0 taste)
1 tbsp. chile powder (to taste, approx. 1 tbsp. chile powder to 1 lb. meat)

Chop the onion, and brown with the ground beef. Drain off any liquid. Combine meat and onions with tomato soup, kidney beans and whole tomatoes. Mix well, then add sugar and spices, to taste. Simmer for several hours on stove. Serve with crackers and/or cheese. (Freezes well.)

Barefoot in the kitchen, part IV: Tequila salsa

Yet again, it's a tale of me using up my many harvested tomatoes, my backyard jalapeno plant and my weekly treasure trove of veggie-delivery-goodness from Terra Organics. This week it's my own version of Tomatillo Salsa Verde.

So, I seriously thought that after more than five years of produce home delivery that I'd seen it all. I'd learned how to use eggplant, bok choy, fresh ginger, chard, blood tomatoes, fava beans, squashes of many makes and models, fresh beets and leeks, and so much more. But then this week's delivery appeared on my doorstep: tomatillos. What the heck? Apparently the kids and the babysitter had played "guess what this is" with this piece of produce. A small, green, round goodie encapsulated in a leaf-like shell that leaves a slightly sticky residue upon the fruit. What the heck? They did trial and error ... and guessed that it must be a plum of sorts. But nope: A tomatillo, the Mexican cousin of the tomato. And oh so made for salsa. And so it began ...

We decided to make fajitas for dinner ... using some steak and eggplant for the "meat" of the fajita, and a corn and black bean mix, the kids grated the cheese, a bit o' sour cream, and some "experimental" salsa by yours truly. As mentioned in the headline to this post, it's "Tequila salsa" ... because I did not have any limes or lemons, or lime or lemon juice, I had to ponder: what liquid should I add? It's salsa. Mexican in nature. So what the heck: I substituted tequila. That and a few other subsitutes and adjustments in this recipe based on a few internet finds for "tomatillo salsa verde" and I bring you my very own, and very yummy, recipe for Tequila salsa verde ... which I consider very sentimental seeing as tequila was basically the first alcohol I ever tasted, in Mexico no less. Here you go ...

TC's Tequila Salsa (chunky - if you prefer otherwise, blend the sucker)
And as is my mantra, the exact quantities are up to you or what's in your cupboard. Chop it up, mix it up, and you should be good ...

3-6 tomatillos, roasted (remove husks, cut in half, stick under the broiler for 5-10 minutes -- untill skin is slightly blackened)
2-3 roasted tomatoes (can be green or less than ripe ... see above for roasting instructions)
1/2 a chopped-up small to medium onion, preferrably red
1/2 cup chopped cilantro leaves
2 splashes of tequila
1/4 to 1/2 tsp. of sugar
salt to taste

Chop onions and cilantro. Add sugar, tequila and salt; stir. Add freshly roasted tomatillos and tomatoes, squish with a potato masher until desired texuture is achieved. (Or put through food processor.) Enjoy with chips, or use wth burritos or fajitas. Yummers!

* This might be an appetizer for the over-21 crowd only ...
1 jalepano pepper

Barefoot in the kitchen, part III: Lovely lasagna

So, once you have a bunch of spaghetti sauce, what do you do with it? In my world, you make lasagna. Perhaps one of the most perfect foods as it includes my favorite ingredient: cheese. And then there's the fact that you can make it in advance, freeze or refrigerate it, and it only tastes yummier when you finally take it out and cook it. And it can easily be vegetarian or meatatarian. I'm a big fan of preparing food beforehand and then getting to relax and socialize while an amazing meal bakes to perfection in the oven.

And then there's the sappy quotient: It's a food my now-hubby taught me how to make once upon a time, a long time ago. Fourteen years ago, he was a much more adventurous chef than I. I could rule the kitchen when it came to making, and had a few "other" dishes, but lasagna was one of those things I considered "too complicated." No longer.

Today's inspiration for lasagna? Perhaps it's an unconscious nod to hubby's and my first date 14 years ago, to the Pacific Lutheran University Homecoming. Today? We're playing hooky from our 10-year homecoming festivities (there isn't much actually going on for the reunion specifically, so I don't feel bad) and going up to Seattle to see Weezer perform live. The kids are jealous. They sing Weezer songs day and night, and so I made them pork and beans for breakfast. Only Baby Girl was excited, but by lunch they'd woken up enough to appreciate the humor.

Back to the food ... so, really, there was beef that needed to be cooked in the refrigerator, and I finally harvested my six tomato plants the other day and had sauce coming out of my ears. This version was a little different than the last couple batches ... no bacon in this round, and no added nutrition in the form of blended up chard and carrots.

This week's base sauce ... consists of about nine different kinds of tomatoes (from my six plants, plus the tomatoes that came in my weekly Terra Organics produce order), a green peppers, onions, a jalepeno, some red wine and olive oil, a bit of salt, a ton of garlic, all cooked for about two hours until it got a more sauce-like consistency. It was fun watching my rainbow of yellow, green, orange and many different reds tomatoes cook down into a deep red sauce. I didn't use fresh herbs this time around because it was dark out, and I just wanted to cook the darn tomatoes.

Plus I figured making some food in advance for this week might be a good idea. Especially food that has my Basement Brother and Hubby drooling for more. The kids still look at it suspiciously (they don't like their food touching food -- so lasagna still elicits skepticism), but we'll try again ...

Anyhow, enough chit-chat, here's my recipe for this week's lasagna ...

TC's Easy Lasagna (2 batches)
based off of Ronzoni's Healthy Harvest Easy Lasagna recipe

2 lb. ground beef
2 tbsp. Yaya (or Johnny's) seasoning
1 tsp. oregano
3-4 cups of homemade tomato sauce (or 1 26 oz. jar of spaghetti sauce)
1 (28 oz.) can of stewed, peeled whole tomatoes
2 (15 oz.) cans of tomato sauce
1 large container (32 oz.) of ricotta cheese (or small curd cottage cheese)
4 cups (16 oz.) o shredded mozzarella (or other favorite cheese)
4 eggs
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. fresh ground black pepper
18 pieces (generally one package) of lasagna noodles, uncooked

In a large cast-iron pot, brown the meat. Sprinkle seasoning on it while it cooks. Drain the grease. Add spaghetti sauce, whole tomatoes, tomato sauce and oregano (or any spices you like), simmer for about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, stir together ricotta cheese, one-half of the mozzarella cheese, eggs, salt and pepper. Pour about 1 cup of sauce on the bottom of each of two 13x9-inch baking dishes. Arrange 3 UNCOOKED pasta pieces lengthwise over the sauce in each dish; cover with 1 cup of sauce. Spread one-fourth of the cheese filling over the sauce in the first dish, then spread one-fourt of the cheese filling over the sauce in the second dish. Repeat layers of lasagna, sauce and cheese filling. Then top with a layer of lasagna and remaining sauce; sprinking remaining mozzarella cheese over the top of the pans of lasagna. Cover with foil.

Now's your choice ... you can refrigerate, freeze, or stick one or both in the oven for 45 minutes (with foil on) in a preheated 350 degree oven, then remove the foil and bake for another 10 minutes, or until hot and bubbly. Let satnd 10 minutes before cutting. Each pan makes about 12 servings.

NOTE: If you freeze it, remember to give it time to thaw, and you might need to cook it a little extra. Luckily with lasanga, you can generally over cook and it should be fine.

Enjoy!

Barefoot in the kitchen, part II: Bacon chocolate

Just several months ago, I'd never heard of bacon as anything but a part of breakfast or as the proverbial icing on the cake for a sandwich or burger. But then came the bacon bonanza.

Some gal pals got together for some girl time, and the boys went bacon crazy. Someone even brought little smokies wrapped in bacon. Then, at future events and gatherings came jalepeño and cream cheese poppers -- wrapped in bacon and BBQ'd on the grill. There was bacon guacamole. Brown-sugared bacon. Many salads with bacon in it.

And then came the talk of bacon candy.

A girlfriend who makes lusti-licious truffles once or twice a year as an adoption fundraiser was talking about flavors, and the menfolk began to bring up bacon. "Bacon truffles!" they declared. Again and again and again. And again and again and again. And again and again.

You get the picture.

So I decided to start experimenting. Husband found a Peanut Butter Bacon Chocolate Truffle recipe awhile back thanks to NPR's Splendid Table show. And I located a super-easy Chocolate Bacon Bark recipe. The results? Happy hubby. Happy children. And many other happy people.

And while I enjoyed the results as well, I'm quite content that it's not MY obsession goodie. This is something I can make, taste, and set aside ... to others' delight.

TC's version of Bacon Chocolate Bark
-- 1 bag chocolate chips of choice (semi-sweet is basic, I used 60% cacao last night -- yum!)
-- 7 strips of bacon, cooked crispy and chopped to bits (Some say the thicker, meatier strips are better -- but if you use thinner ones, just toss in a couple extra strips. Or heck, toss in extra just for fun.)

Melt the chocolate chips in the microwave, 1 minute at a time (stirring in between) until melted. Stir half the bacon in, then pour mixture onto a cookie sheet covered in foil and spread to desired thickness. Next, sprinkle remaining "bacon bits" on top, and refrigerate. Enjoy!

Simple pleasures

Got to drop the kids off at school today.

Doesn't sound like much, I know. And back in the day when I had to do it every day, it was a chore. But now that I have to be at work before they have to be at school, it's the rare, rare day when I get to say "Come on kids, time to go! Time to go to school!" And it's a moment I now cherish and appreciate when I get the chance.

I miss the happy farewells, and even the clingy ones. I miss arriving to pick them up and scanning the playfield to see what they're up to when mommy and daddy aren't watching. I miss the hugs, and even the "I'm hungry" declarations. But today I get to relive the adventure. And tomorrow I'll miss it -- but I'll seek solace in the fact that I could be missing so much more, and really I am lucky.

But today ... today I high-fived the Baby Girl off to preschool and helped her put on her slippers and put away her coat, met her adoring teacher, and then headed off to deliver the eldest two in plenty of time before the bell. We waved at the crossing guard and I got big hugs (ouch! darn sunburn) and watched them each run off to their separate playgrounds. Got to spy on who they were chit-chatting with. I look forward to picking them up and getting hugs (and even looking forward to the ouches), helping them with their homework and then doing some evening family time baking. And I look forward to my next opportunity. But in the meantime ...

It's good to be home.

The whole reason we were in Hawaii ...

... was to celebrate the marriage of my brother to the love of his life.

So while I plan to share other photos and tales both funny and fun (thank Zesty for the inspiration), I begin with the main point of this recent too-short adventure: The Happy Couple.



We have many more sappy pictures, but I enjoy the mischief and playfulness in their eyes here.

This is a couple who spent the whole day boogie-boarding before exchanging vows. A couple who exchanged vows on the beaches of Kauai (with giant turtles floating in the surf) in part to force their families to take a fun vacation and get barefoot on the beach. A couple who manages to keep each others' feet on the ground and heads in the clouds. A couple who cherishes family and tradition all while dancing to their own beat. Their own beautiful beat.

To the happy couple: Keep dancing.

A mountain of socks

The Boy was complaining recently about his severe shortage of socks, as his feet have grown a few leaps and bounds (they're bigger than his big sister's), so we decided to order him some socks. He professed a liking to the Gold Toe Auro style we'd gotten at Target early in the year, and so I went onto Target website to order more (I prefer online ordering to battling retail crowds and flourescent lights) ... but they weren't offered online there.

After several attempts, I finally found Gold Toe's rather basic (but still effective) website and perused my options. I found his favorite, the Auro EZ Match that comes with one, two or three stripes across the toe depending on the size (hence, it's easy to match -- and easy to weed out the too small ones ... me like!)

The only problem, I thought, was that they didn't seem to sell them in multiples. That's funny, I thought. At Target they came in multi-packs. And it seemed a bit pricey for one pair, but they were good socks ... so what the heck. I ordered five pairs of white, and five pairs of brown and black dress style socks. Or so I thought. The socks arrived today. Unbeknownst to me, the white socks come in packs of three, the dress socks in packs of two. So we now have 15 pairs of white and 10 pairs of dress socks. I told The Boy he had to share with his sisters when they run low.

Needless to say, The Boy no longer has a shortage of socks. And they are a lot more reasonably priced that I thought. Hooray!

How to make a Happy Birthday

Ingredients:
Virtually no plans
1 pot of coffee
Radio tuned to 94.9
Trip to Proctor Farmers Market
Trip to Corina's Bakery to request a cake, any cake (and get a lovely red velvet)
Late-night trek to the Java Jive
Deborah Page playing at the Java Jive
Family
Friends

Wa-lah! One heck of a Happy Birthday without the stress of party planning!

For the big 3-2, I made no plans, other than to chill. My Saturday "big day" began lazily. Hubby and I had enjoyed an evening at The Tempest the previous night, he was working and the kids were sleeping. I dawdled on the Internet a bit, had my hit of NPR, soaked in some sun, straightened up in anticipation of a parental visit, and relished the fact that I would enjoy my day. Simple as that. With the brother watching the sleeping children, I made a dash to the Proctor Farmers Market where I procured 2 dozen fresh oysters for the hubby to barbecue for dinner. Then I realized the kids would probably wonder where the cake was if we didn't get one -- it's a BIRTHDAY after all. So I ran over to Corina's Bakery -- under new ownership by the fabulously fabulous Julie and crew -- and inquired "do you have anything whole?" (Without nuts -- The Diva is allergic.) And they did! A yet unfrosted red velvet (I'd heard tales of this scrumptious concoction). Score! I placed my order, texted the hubby to pick it up later, and off I was back home where my family had just arrived from that state down south. I won't bore you with details, but highlights include the Corina's folks sending me a special note UNDER my cake. "What's that?" I asked myself as I served my family slices of scrumptiousness. A secret message! Sweet. (Literally.) Julie is the best. Then I read in my e-mail that my very favorite Deborah Page was playing that night at the Java Jive -- a place that has been on my "must go" list for ages. So late that night, my dad, my uncle and I were off to the Jive to enjoy a beer, some cheesy fries, the music and the unique atmosphere. And while it was technically a bit AFTER my birthday (after midnight), Deborah sealed the deal with a lovely Happy Birthday tune at the end of their set. Add to it gatherings with friends over the following days, and I'm blown over with bliss.

Now that's a recipe I'm not sure I can recreate. I'll be dreamily savoring the memories for years to come ...

Last day of "Pre-K"

Can't believe the day has come and gone. The Boy is done with preschool ... or "Pre-K" if you ask him. Next year he and The Eldest will be in the same school, and the Baby Girl starts preschool. And in two years, they'll all spend two glorious years IN THE SAME SCHOOL. But I must remember to cherish the days in between ... so in that vein, here's a shot of the boy from when I showed up at his last day of preschool picnic.



When I arrived at lunch, The Boy said, "I thought you weren't going to make it!" (He gave me a really big hug. *Smile.*) Admittedly, I did get lost getting there. Vassault Park isn't the easiest one to find. I knew it had to be walkable from the preschool, but that's about all I could remember. But I did make it ... and The Boy spent his time divided between stealing bits of my lunch (half a grilled cheese and a cup of crab bisque from Over the Moon Cafe, with pasta salad on the side) and wrassling with his buddies (the girl did not do this ... I think she spent her whole last day on the swings).

This particular picture was taken when he claimed he NEEDED water ... so we wandered down together to the public restrooms. So that he could explain to me that the water came from the sewers. I explained that while it goes into the sewer after he pushed the button, it's not technically a sewer it comes out of.

Total geeky conversation.

I look forward to many more to come.

Congrats to The Boy! I can't believe you're now a kindergartner.

Supah-stahr!

The Eldest is apparently growing up. Over the last couple years, The Eldest has generally been super-shy when it comes to doing anything in front of an audience.

She's refused to get on stage.

She has stood frozen on the verge of tears.

And during one performance (at church), she chose to hide by pulling her dress skirt over her head, thus flashing the entire audience her Hello Kitty underwear for the entire performance.

Meanwhile, Baby Girl has fought and clawed her way to get ON stage. (Last Christmas was not fun ... trying to get Eldest on stage while Baby Girl escapes to try to place herself center stage, and upon discovering herself chased, tries to hide behind the giant church Christmas tree. These kids are a workout.)

However, back to the Eldest, WE HAVE BREAKTHROUGH!

It started several months back when her church choir director gave her a "special job" to do during a performance. (She turned a light on, on cue.) The Diva Daughter nature of The Eldest took over, and she was fine on stage. Finally. She had an important job. She still talks about it.

Tonight, it was the elementary school spring program.

And The Eldest ... check that, The Diva Daughter, was one of four first-graders with LINES.

She stood proudly in the front of the group, singing her songs full-blast. And when it came time for the narration, she and her three pals all performed beautifully, and confidently.

So let me present: The Diva Daughter ....



If Diva Daughter manages to stay around until next month's ballet recital, it will be momentous.

I will be one proud mom.

Possibly my favorite Mother's Day/Weekend ever

Wow -- I think I'm still blissed out out from the past weekend that pretty much turned into a Mother's Day extended weekend. And so many T-town reasons became a part of the celebration.

We started out with Frost Park Friday, fabulous as always, and I'd designed a special T-shirt for Little Brother whose entry into The Grand's 72-h0ur Film Festival ended up cursed. But you can still see his video (below) and we will be having a special Director's Cut (longer, funnier, more plot lines) screening of "Destiny of the Gnome," starring the TacomaGnome and many others, someday soon. Little Brother later met Wil Wheaton at the Emerald City ComiCon later in the weekend. Vicarious touch of fame? ;) I'm such a geek ...

Destiny of a Gnome:


Oh, what, you wanted to know about the T-shirt? Well, if you watch the video to the end, you might figure out what I might have put on a T-shirt for Little Brother ... it's pretty obvious. And it's not suitable for younger audiences.

Later Friday night, Hubby & I took PDX Brother and his fabulous fiancee to The Tempest Lounge, where we enjoyed scrumptious treats and fab conversation. Then they headed off to his Seattle show (sadly, his later-in-the-weekend T-Town performance ended up cancelled), and the Hubby and I continued Date Night with the last half of the 72-hour Film Festival, which I hear was the better half. We loved it. Then met up with some peeps at Maxwell's. I'd heard good things about Maxwell's Speakeasy & Lounge ... good food, good ambiance, medium prices, etc. But even the good talk-up didn't do this place justice. Really nice ... best crab cakes I've ever had, awesome service, etc. I'll be back. :)

Oh, wait ... we aren't even TO Mother's Day, are we.

So ... Saturday, The Eldest, Baby Girl and I wound up at The Harvester. Yum. Yum. Yum. Not only did we get to hang out with many fun peeps, but my girls got their favorite: split the strawberry pancakes and strawberry milkshake ... while I enjoyed my Wrecked Eggs. (So very much my favorite Harvester treat.)

Then, it was off to the Proctor Farmers Market, where we found asparagus (never thought I'd be celebrating that, but I'm a new fan), apples, pears and CHEESE CURDS! I heart cheese curds. I heard someone today mention cheese curds in the street and I almost tackled them. I had cheese curds on the brain, and normally folks say, "Huh?!?!? What are cheese curds?" And someone else had them on the brain too! Is it the season? Seriously. It was weird.

Are you wondering when I'm gonna get to Mother's Day? Okay, okay ... here you go. On Sunday, not only did Hubby & The Kids wake me up with many hugs and kisses and happiness and yummy breakfast ... but add to the treasure pot: the The Boy made it spectacularly through his spring musical performance at church, then we stole my brother and his lovely dove and took them to see Never Never Land at Point Defiance Park. Wow. I can't believe I hadn't been there before. Great, old kinda-creepy stuff with a fairly new and fabulous playground for the kiddies. The munchkins had a blast between the playground and the trails.




Strangely, what inspired us to go here? Another 72-Hour Film Festival entry ...


Blogland Murders from Kevin Freitas on Vimeo.

All had fun at Point Defiance ... and Brother Dear and I didn't even battle once. No baiting; no debating. It was weird. And quite nice. It was a great weekend. And after we parted ways, leaving Brother Dear & Fiancee in the midst of Point Defiance Park joys, we headed over to Hubby's brother's house to spend the remainder of a never-ending fabulous Mother's Day. A Mother's Day where I did not have to play host. Where I got to see folks I cared about. Where yummy food was served, good conversation was had, people smiled, there was a kid in the house that wasn't mine, dreams were pondered and ... well ... let's just say, it was good.

I'm still dumbfounded, though obviously not speechless.

I guess we all have to trip across a few good days in a row here and there ... I send good thoughts to my pals who need a few of the same.

PHOTOS: Back from the land of 10,000 frozen lakes ...

... and I hear I missed the snow in T-Town, but check this out! :)





There was at least 6 inches of snow in Rochester, MN, when we arrived last week. It was in the negative teens and snowing a blustery, dry snow that would NOT allow you to make snowballs or snowmen. By the day this photo was taken, it had warmed to the 30s if not 40s and the kids went sledding, built a snowman, built a snow chair (and eldest SAT IN IT for who knows how long, crazy girl), and had all kinds of fun. We flew out a few hours later ... and the Chicago airport had already closed down. In fact, as we waited to board our plane, a plane full of Chicago-bound folks had just unboarded after waiting more than an hour on the runway.

Today we got word that it was basically a blizzard where 24 hours before we were playing in the snow in practically balmy winter weather. At least 6 inches had been added to what you see above by midday today, kids had been sent home from school after lunch, and it was negative-20-plus degrees with 20-30 mph winds. And it was still snowing. And still getting colder.

I think we picked the exact right time to head home ...

Hellos and goodbyes

First off, I have to say thanks to Ensie, TacomaMama, Cassioposa and Girlfriend in Tacoma for a much-needed girls night out late last night. While our intended itinerary got sidetracked MANY times, we definitely all got our gab on. Thanks for inviting me girls, and it was good to finally MEET you Ms. JCBetty, rather than just hear tales from my hubby. To my "original girlfriends," have no fear ... I plan to keep our monthly and summer traditions alive. But now that I can't make daytime playdates, it's nice to have an occasional late night girly gab session.

And now the depressing side ... tonight our household prepares to fly off to the land of 1,000 (frozen) lakes. Many of you may know that last year was the year I lost my three grandmothers. Well, this week my husband lost his remaining grandmother. We head to Minnesota to say our official farewells. We have no more grandmothers left. It's very odd to know that a year ago we had four between us, and now there are none.

And I feel sorry for my brother-in-law, the eldest of the four boys, who's baby daughter is barely half a year old and never got to meet her great-grandmother. I remember when my eldest was the same age and just missed meeting my father's father. By days. They were en route from Arizona to visit, and had to turn back when my grandfather started to not feel well, and that was that. I never saw him again. I don't think I ever saw my stepmother again either. It's strange to write down. It's a rather surreal and painful missed encounter for a new parent ... an admittedly self-pity pain, but no matter ... when the emotional rug gets pulled out from under you, it's a not-so-graceful landing on your ass. And it hurts.

Something to be happy about

I was so thrilled to hear today from Tacoma Mama today that her past nearly-a-year of hard work posting daily "Good Days" in Tacoma is getting some notice of even the Seattle media. After a post at Citizen Rain, the media minions descended and she was interviewed by KOMO 1000 this morning, and then lo and behold Evening Magazine gave a call and said "can we come today?"

As a mother, I don't know how she did it. Don't the TV producers know that mothers need at least a week's notice? Give us time to clean the house! Give us time to get some beauty sleep! Give us time to focus on getting our brains back! Oh, wait, ok ... true, give us a week and none of this may actually happen. So what the hell, come by today ... And Tacoma Mama so pulled it off ... way to go Jen! There's no doubt she deserves it.

Jen spends tons of barely compensated time putting together incredible resources for Tacoma resident and visiting parents, and then forced herself to write DAILY about good things in Tacoma. I, I write OCCASIONALLY about good things in Tacoma. And while I know there's plenty to write about, it's that making yourself carve the time out of the day and DO it which is the reason why Tacoma Mama is getting some attention. It's amazing what happens when you DO something. And having just finished working with Tacoma Mama on helping with this last year's First Night event ... I gotta say, that's a group that DOES things. And Jen did a lot to make that magic happen.

So congratulations to Jen on sticking with it. Congratulations on getting some validation. And thank you so much for some good news. Today I needed it. Today my husband's grandmother died, and we prepare to flee the state for the funeral. It was only June when the first of my grandmothers died ... the first of three for 2007. And now it's the darling husband's side we grieve for. It's been a long year ... a long LESS THAN a year.

Thank you Jen for all the Good Days, may we all have many more.

The games them kids play ...

So, the eldest two just spent more than an hour playing chess. Mind you, they're 7 and 5. We've kinda shown them the rules. Whether they're playing exactly right, I don't know. And I doubt they have much strategy yet. But they played. And didn't fight. Did you read that? They didn't fight! I'm still in shock. They made it through at least three games where they both won at least once, which meant they each had to lose, and they didn't fight. I'm still in shock. More than an hour, and the only friction was when the "baby" came by and kicked over a piece ... hmmm ...

I'm still in shock.

VIDEO: My brother made me cry ...

So, below is the fifth and final video my "baby" brother made following our big everyone-actually-made-it-for-the-first-time-in-many-years Thanksgiving extravaganza. "Thanksgiving?!?!" you might ask. "But, that's been long gone." Yes, it has. But this last Thanksgiving was a particularly emotional time for our family, which meant it took my brave bro a long time to get through the footage, as two days later our grandmother took a turn for the worse and died a few days later. She was a mentor, a hero, a mother (grand or otherwise) to many, including myself. And with that, I'll avoid the novel for once and simply say "Happy Thanksgiving!" one last time. Happy New Year ... and live every day.



Thanks yet again, Adam.

VIDEO: Why I'm sharing this I do not know ...

My darling brother is finally getting around to finishing his series of five videos from our Thanksgiving on the homestead. The final one will be a tear-jerker, but I got a kick out of one of the recent one's, which is actually Thanksgiving, part II: "the bonus kids." Aunts and uncles and cousins and grandparents had gathered en masse the previous day, and on day two several of our family's "bonus kids" (we add family members whenever we please) were able to make it as well and we had a smaller gathering that included no auntie butts going through my parents' walls. It was day two of the fooding. And I got to see my best friend from, well, since sometime in gradeschool. And there were several cute kid moments, and apparently I got chatty about luck vs. skill when it comes to games. Sigh. I like games.

Again, why am I sharing this? Oh yeah, because it made me laugh.




Thanks again, Adam!