scattered thoughts

I'm not feeling very bloggity lately. (Random thought: anyone remember the old song "I like the way you work it... no biggity... I like to bag it up?" Bloggity made me think of 'biggity.' Thanks for putting up with my randomness.)

I must confess I am counting down the days to Thanksgiving. W is out of school the whole week, and we are taking a trip to a place called Heaven on Earth, NC. Also known as W's Aunt's mountain house. We'll be there with his whole family. We go every other year and I have come to absolutely love it. That means that this semester is close to being over which possibly excites me more than my husband. That also means that he is completely up to his height in work to be done in a short amount of time.

Have I mentioned my husband is completely awesome? He handles everything he does with such grace. He rocks.

I also must confess I am so incredibly super excited about meeting THE Pioneer Woman next month. I know she is wonderful and lovely and a bag of chips... but I am really looking forward to having a special girl's night out to go meet her. Fellowship, food, and an amazing cookbook author = sounds like a plan to me.

I'm out of little tidbits to talk about I think. I'm praying for God's peace tonight. I worry way too much. I am trying to remind myself to lay everything, no matter what, at the cross. Especially with my family and the world we live in. I would so much rather be in God's hands than be in control myself, yet I find myself trying to control so many things. I pray that His peace which surpasses all understanding would guard my heart and mind. I desire the joy of the Lord.

Thanks for reading :o) And how about a big 'ole PRAISE GOD that Stellan's ablation was successful!

St. Louis Trip

Week before last, our little family took a quick trip to St. Louis, MO to see some precious friends of ours.

We had an awesome time. Thursday night we hung out with them at home, then Friday when the girls were in school, S took us to an amazing place called The Magic House. The kids LOVED it. There were countless activities for them to do, and quite frankly, mom and dad had a blast too.




W and I both forgot our cameras (err!) but did have the trusty iPhones. These were taken at the water works and also at the water organ. W got some cool video on his phone too.

After our outing, I had my very first Red Robin (ummmm!) experience. I had some type of BBQ wrap that was amazing. That night, we all went out to eat together at this little pizza joint called Dewey's Pizza. It was the freshest tasting pizza I've ever had in my life. We had the Bronx Bomber which is likened to a supreme pizza. The bell peppers, onions, and sausage were to die for.

The next morning we had to leave (I mentioned it was a quick trip, right?) so we naturally went to the Arch. Wow. It was so beautiful. I never would have imagined it to be so big, but indeed it is.



We had an awesome time with an awesome family. We miss them so much already!

In which I use the word "dentist" a few times.

I have been awful about updating lately; consequently, this will be a smorkus board of random thoughts. I even told myself that I would not in fact blog today for my to-do list is as long as the Autobahn. I began to get my ironing pile ready when I heard T-Pup jump from an unknown location to his bed. I then grabbed the laptop and now am monitoring his kangaroo tendancies while I update the blog.

Where to start? Ah, yes... Dental Drama.

About two years ago I had a root canal done. I went into the office all but kicking and screaming saying "just don't say root canal." For one reason or six, I never had the tooth crowned. So about six weeks ago I find myself with excruciating pain. I hypnotize myself back to the doorway of dentistry doom and go figure, the root canal tooth. I was so much in denial that I started laughing hysterically, but I think Dr. Dentist thought I was crying because he handed me a tissue and patted my shoulder.

I then went to Dr. Dandy Dentist (better known as the Endodontist) who said only after a course in Endodontics 101 that I did in fact need re-treatment.

I then went to the waiting room and curled up in the fetal position and cried "why me?" for approximately 3 minutes. Just kidding. Maybe.

So the next week I go back to Dr. Dandy Dentist and darling dental assistant encouraged me and even patted my shoulder during the shots. Then I met my true love who shall be known Mr. Nitris (also known as Mr. Nose). Where has he been my whole life? Why couldn't I have him during childbirth? Or family gatherings?

Turns out because of Mr. Nitris, darling dental assistant, Dr. Dandy Dentist and plenty of grace from God the 3 hour procedure all but flew by. And they even gave me coconut lip balm.

The next week I go back to Dr. Dentist for the crown-frown process. I just feel to young to have this done. They all but erase my tooth then put some temporary crown resembling a chicklet over my tooth and tell me to come back in a few weeks to have the permanent one put on. Turns out I went back the next day because said chicklet came off while I was having my morning cup of get me going coffee.

The next one they put on came off last week while I was eating pumpkin bread. So, I frantically borrowed a tube of Fixadent from W's grandmother and squished the thing back on. Um, eww. Will I borrow her Preparation H next?

I refuse to go back until my permanent is in. Sadly this means I haven't had a piece of gum in six weeks and my mental age has gone from late twenties to early sixties.

And we have invested approximately 23% of our children's college fund into ONE tooth. Here's to hoping for scholarships.

The End of Dental Drama.

Since that took so much effort I guess I'll save the rest for another day or possibly month.

*Updated to add IT.IS.FINISHED. Dr. Dentist called me yesterday and had the permanent crown. I am amazed. And possibly not hating dentistry as much now... possibly...

Let the photos speak for themselves...

Squeezeee!

Help!

Mom?!

Ok... Deal!

Food

I don't know about you, but for me Autumn brings a whole new level to cooking. Soup and chili become more acceptable, and things you don't want in the summer you suddenly do now.

I may or may not have already made potato cheese soup and chili in the past two weeks. Surely one wouldn't be that excited to bring some warmth in.

I say all of this to say I'm in a slump. A cooking slump. I have 4 very opinionated eaters in my house, including myself. One of which is currently only eating apples and turkey bacon along with a sippy cup of milk.

I'm trying to be creative for my crew, but am at a loss. Tonight? Well, I have some thawed ground beef... but spaghetti? Eh... tacos? Not so much... Hamburger helper? Please don't make me revisit the meals of my childhood.

I saw this meal last week on Kelly's blog and decided to try it out:


Olive oil and lemons were on the bottom, then the green beans, potatoes, and chicken were coated in an olive oil/juiced lemon/salt/pepper/garlic-(which I forgot) mixture. W and I ate it, but my children would not come close.

Any meal ideas that are go-to meals for your family?

Boston

I realized this morning I never shared about our anniversary trip to Boston this summer. We went July 14-17, and had a great time. We flew into DC before flying to Boston, and this is what greeted us from the tarmac: the Washington Monument! It was neat because I haven't been to DC in ten years, and even though we didn't leave the airplane it was nice to have a small glimpse of our nation's capitol.

We arrived in Boston late Thursday night and rode "the T" into town. It was intimidating at first, but we quickly managed to get the hang of their public transportation. We stayed at the Charlesmark Hotel on Boylston Street right across from Copley Square. It is a smaller hotel, but it is authentically Bostonian, which is what we wanted and it fit in our budget. Our room was small but it was perfect for us. If we ever go back with the children we decided it would be better to stay somewhere a bit larger and more family friendly, but again, it was perfect for our little trip.

Wednesday morning we set out first thing for Harvard. We were still figuring out the T, so we walked... a lot. Once we hit the red line, we were on our way to Cambridge. This was taken on my iPhone from the T while crossing the river.



Our Harvard experience was... exhausting. We didn't have a tour, only the Frommer's book, and we just kind of explored. And explored. And walked. And wow, Harvard is a lot bigger than any other university I've ever visited! Can you believe this is the only picture I took in Cambridge?



That was my lunch at Mr. Bartley's Burger Cottage in Harvard Square. It was an interesting lunch because the tables were incredibly close together and there were two men sitting directly beside us. They were speaking another language, so W asked where they were from and they said Amsterdam. It was kind of neat and a little too close for comfort all at the same time.

After lunch we hit the Harvard bookstore for some souvenirs then headed back into Boston. We went to our hotel and literally.crashed. We were exhausted! After our nap we headed down near Faneuil Hall and Quincy Market. It's a great touristy area with plenty of restaurants. We checked out a few of the Freedom Trail sites in that area then decided to have dinner at Durgin Park. They are known for their grumpy waitresses so we were a little nervous. Ours was awesome though, even instructing W on how to crack open his lobsta'. You got it, in Bwoston you eat lobsta'. This was my dinner:



Boy I sure do seem to take a lot of pictures of food!

We decided Wednesday night that we wanted to be a bit more guided in our jaunt around Boston, so first thing Thursday morning we went back to Faneuil Hall and bought tickets for a Duck tour. We then caught a trolley that would eventually take us to the Duck pick-up, but we were able to get a neat little sight seeing with the trolley first. The duck tour was neat, and they pointed out different key things about certain areas. We were sad to find out our tour guide was from Washington state though. This was our "duck" (and note the Bunker Hill Monument in the top right corner!).



Thursday afternoon we caught a small bite of lunch at McDonalds because we knew we were having a royal dinner that night. And let me tell you. It. Was. Royal. We did our research for our anniversary dinner and decided on Abe and Louie's. I didn't get any pictures of our food, but it was delicious. W and I both had the filet, and it was to die for. It just melted in your mouth. W had a side of broccoli and I had a sweet potato. Amazing. I was so nervous about eating there that I used my steak knife to butter my bread. I suppose our waiter may have known we were from the deep south! :) This was taken after we finished eating.



After our meal we took a ride on the T to go to Fenway Park. I'm not sure what happened, but as close as we got was to the Fenway T stop. I think you actually need to get off at the stop before "Fenway" to go to Fenway Park. We walked around for a while but could never find it. I was wearing flip flops so I wasn't as dedicated to seeing it as I thought I would be.

We rode back into town and then hit the Prudential Center. It is the second tallest building in Boston and has a sky deck on the 50th floor. It was just past sunset and absolutely beautiful. After a few minutes of being up there though, I began to feel woozy. I normally have no issue with heights, so it was weird to be freaked out. We did get a lovely view of Fenway Park from up there and also of MIT.



On Friday we checked out of our hotel then rode the T to the airport. We went ahead and checked into our 5 o'clock flight so we wouldn't have to carry our luggage around all day. We went back into the city and continued exploring. First we walked through the Public Garden and up to Beacon Hill. It was beautiful. We found the beautiful Church of the Advent and gazed upon its beauty. We then stopped for a frappachino at Starbucks on Charles Street and caught our breath. We continued walking through Beacon Hill and checked out Louisburg Square.

We then rode the T to Haymarket and started hitting a few more Freedom Trail sites. We walked through Little Italy (that they coincidentally do not call Little Italy) and went to the Paul Revere Mall. It was just a small tree filled, grassy area with cobblestone and a large statue of him riding his horse. Directly behind it was the Old North Church. I can't tell you how many times we heard the words "One if by land, two if by sea." The inside of the church was so incredibly simple. All white. Not air conditioned. And the pews were not long, instead they have little boxes you sit in. I don't think time has changed it at all. Which I love.

We then tried to find the Paul Revere house, and for whatever reason it was hiding. We had our map and even the Freedom Trail app on W's iPhone, but we could not find it. I'm convinced that it doesn't really exist!

Around this time it was close to lunch. We were hot and hungry and still needed to souvenir shop, so we decided to head back to the airport. We blew farewell kisses to the beautiful New England city that is inundated in historic charm and modern architecture and headed back home.

I think I will post another entry with a few more pictures and a few less words! :)

On the Boston Harbor July 16 celebrating 5 years of marriage!

Catch Up

Let's play catch up! T-Pup turned 4. Wow. Where has the time gone? My little man is literally becoming a little man. His heart is growing and his will is strengthening. From what I can tell this is typical of all four year olds!

He loves to play outside on his "wobbly scooter" and pick up bugs. Recently this almost included a live snake, but his mommy thought it may not be a good idea considering we didn't know what kind of snake it was. The snake problem took care of itself as one of his soccer teammate's father accidentally ran over the snake with his vehicle. Let me tell you, I didn't think it would crunch. I may have thrown up a little.

My little Sam is turning into quite the two year old. She is beginning to talk up a storm and let her opinion be known often. She is a girly girl, wanting a bow in her hair first thing in the morning, but loves to play in the dirt and collect rocks from the road. She is also turning into quite the Daddy's girl. W doesn't seem to mind one bit!

School has started back so W is in his routine of school, commute, and work again. Not always in that order, ha! He amazes me with all that he does. And he never complains, which in itself amazes me. I couldn't be more proud of who he is and what he does.

And me? Well, in between dirty diapers, folding laundry, and reading Jane Austen, well, those hours are called sleep. Haha! I really feel like I can never stay caught up on everything. If my laundry is all done, there is a bathroom that needs to be cleaned. If the bathrooms are all cleaned, there is a ceiling fan to be dusted. Wait, I need to go unload the dishwasher real quick too. Hear me out: I am not complaining! I love that I am able to stay home with our children, and consider it a joy. I just wish I could manage everything a little bit better.

I started doing Pre-K homeschool with T-Pup a few weeks ago. We are loving it. This morning for example, we spent the whole time doing "school" in our pajamas. But, we got it done! It is now 2:35 and I have yet to put the breakfast dishes away, but I have spent valuable time with my children today. And have dinner taken care of (extra points!). The families with so many children amaze me, because they have all the older children to help. I think it has to be the hardest when you have several small children and it's all on you. In those moments of being so overwhelmed seem to be when the Lord speaks to me the most.

So, that is a small catch up on our little brood. I could write more about several things, but maybe saving it will bring you back for more :) haha. One quick story. Last week I was buckling Sam into her carseat as I told T-Pup to get into his, and put his arms in his straps. As I continued buckling Sam, T-Pup was playing with toys in the floor of the vehicle. I said to him "What did I tell you to do?" and he replied "Can't you just be patient with me?" Haha. I had to laugh because how many times do I tell him to be patient for me? Hope you all are doing well and seeking Him.

What would you name this photo?!