Background to today's story: Husband did an exchange program in high school and spent time learning in Costa Rica. While in Costa Rica, he got Salmonella - sickest he's ever been in his life - and doesn't want our kids to eat anything with raw eggs in it because of that fact. Well, if you mention a fun fact like that to DD1 she'll remember it forever, but in her head some of the facts have changed. Here is the transcript from our conversation this afternoon. (We stopped at DQ on the way home.)
DD1: The cookie dough in this blizzard is probably the "safe: kind.
("safe" meaning made with pasteurized eggs.)
Me: Yes, they probably couldn't serve it if it wasn't the "safe" kind.
DD1 (talking to DD2): Daddy got food poisoning from eating raw eggs and got sick.
Me: I don't know exactly what he was eating, but I'm not sure it was raw eggs.
DD1: Then it was raw meat. His mom made it.
Me: No, honey, it wasn't... and she didn't. He was in Costa Rica at the time, so he was far away from his mom.
DD1: He got sick in another country?
Me: Yes. He studied Spanish so he got to take a trip very far away. Dad and I would like you to do an exchange program in High School.
DD1: I could go to Mexico.
Me: Or maybe Spain? Then we can come visit you.
DD1: No. I'm never going there. I'll just go somewhere close to home that I haven't been before where they speak Spanish. Like South Dakota.
********************************
....so there you have it - my daughter's foreign exchange plan. If you know of any good Student Exchange Programs to the Spanish speaking parts of the DAKOTAS be sure to let me know. Cause apparently she's all about Mt. Rushmore and the Black Hills, not so much the historic beauty of Madrid and Seville, or the Pyrenees Mountains.
South Dakota? Oh, Lord help me.
Friday, May 29, 2009
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Wordless Wednesday (one day late)
...Sorry, the dog ate my entry. (Or something like that.) Here are more of Julian Beever's chalk drawings. I can never get enough of these. Would LOVE to see one in person someday.
Monday, May 25, 2009
Memorial Day
Please take a moment today to remember the estimated (as of November 2008*) 651,030 Americans who, since 1775, have fallen on battlefields fighting for the rights and freedoms of the citizens of our country.
Please take a moment to remember those who died off of the battlefield during their service to our country. An estimated 539,000 men and women who have died from wounds incurred during battle, and other "in service, non-theater" deaths(*).
Please take a moment to remember the families of those fallen. The hundreds of millions of tears they have shed (over these last 234 years) because their loved ones "laid so costly a sacrifice upon the altar of freedom." (Abraham Lincoln)
Please take a moment to honor the spirit of Memorial Day... and then go have some fun. They wanted that for you.
Friday, May 22, 2009
SMA Friday!
We interrupt this SMA Friday for an Announcement:
The future of online storage is just this; CX.com LESS FLUFF, MORE CLOUD This is the company I work for, and we are featuring 10GB of FREE storage. That is WAY more than Dropbox - in fact, no one offers more FREE, more SECURE storage than we do at CX.com. Get your head in to the clouds, but make sure you pick the right one!
I now return you to your previous post.
We get so busy on SMA Fridays looking at that Hot Hugh Jackman, that we forget there is a woman behind that man. A supportive, beautiful wife named Deborra-Lee Furness. Who is, perhaps, one of the luckiest women in the world.
The future of online storage is just this; CX.com LESS FLUFF, MORE CLOUD This is the company I work for, and we are featuring 10GB of FREE storage. That is WAY more than Dropbox - in fact, no one offers more FREE, more SECURE storage than we do at CX.com. Get your head in to the clouds, but make sure you pick the right one!
sign up HERE
I now return you to your previous post.
We get so busy on SMA Fridays looking at that Hot Hugh Jackman, that we forget there is a woman behind that man. A supportive, beautiful wife named Deborra-Lee Furness. Who is, perhaps, one of the luckiest women in the world.
Bloggers and friends, meet "the wife":
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Springtime at Locksley Hall
...where, according to Alfred Lord Tennyson;
"In the Spring a young man's fancy lightly turns to thoughts of love." (*)
Know what I've noticed about the Spring? It seems to be when a blogger's fancy lightly turns to thoughts of all things except updating their blogs!
Come on, ladies, I'm having to search out new material and spend time on facebook. (I am still convinced that nothing good will come from facebook.) Update, I beg of you... UPDATE!!! If you haven't figured it out yet, let me spell it out for you: The internet was invented so I could partake of it's literary amuse-bouche. (Just ask Al Gore.) I don't want to read long, drawn out, in-depth coverage of anything. When I want that, I read books. No, what I want to start my day is short snippets of real life. I love the snippets and stories I find on blogs, and twitter doesn't fulfill me with it's 140 characters. I tried to substitute, I really did. But Twitter is akin to a synthetic opiate... it fills the need if it has to... sort of. Blogging is the real deal, however "old school" it must now seem with the bright and shiny social networks out there that are drawing people in like magpies.
So, for the love of a sisterwife, put down the facebook and come back to blogging. The SMA might appreciate it, too.
*You can find the poem "Locksley Hall" by Alfred Lord Tennyson in it's entirety here.
"In the Spring a young man's fancy lightly turns to thoughts of love." (*)
Know what I've noticed about the Spring? It seems to be when a blogger's fancy lightly turns to thoughts of all things except updating their blogs!
Come on, ladies, I'm having to search out new material and spend time on facebook. (I am still convinced that nothing good will come from facebook.) Update, I beg of you... UPDATE!!! If you haven't figured it out yet, let me spell it out for you: The internet was invented so I could partake of it's literary amuse-bouche. (Just ask Al Gore.) I don't want to read long, drawn out, in-depth coverage of anything. When I want that, I read books. No, what I want to start my day is short snippets of real life. I love the snippets and stories I find on blogs, and twitter doesn't fulfill me with it's 140 characters. I tried to substitute, I really did. But Twitter is akin to a synthetic opiate... it fills the need if it has to... sort of. Blogging is the real deal, however "old school" it must now seem with the bright and shiny social networks out there that are drawing people in like magpies.
So, for the love of a sisterwife, put down the facebook and come back to blogging. The SMA might appreciate it, too.
*You can find the poem "Locksley Hall" by Alfred Lord Tennyson in it's entirety here.
Monday, May 18, 2009
What a beautiful day!
Imagine my surprise this morning when, on 9News I heard Becky Ditchfield talking about 90 degree weather!!! (That's 32 degrees for all of you heathens who follow the Celsius thermometer.)
No fights with my daughters this morning about what to wear! (Usually I'm loudly telling them, "yes, I know it's Springtime... but you're still going to have to wear jeans because it's cold outside!") Not today!!! Wanna wear your Summer clothes? Go for it. The only warning I had to give was, "You can wear any dress you want - but it is going to be windy so it might blow up on the playground." Other than that? They could go to school in anything but spaghetti straps and flip flops. (There is a dress code, after all.)
And what does Mom have planned for this beautiful day? Lunch with friends? No. A good book to be read outside under the shade of a beautiful tree? Wrong again.
Because I scheduled today to be carpet cleaning day. And not the kind where the man in uniform comes and takes care of it all for while I enjoy a latte and the newspaper. The kind where I break out our handy dandy steam cleaner for (please God) the last time, and tackle the family room carpet.
On the most beautiful day so far this year.
Because I'm all about good timing.
No fights with my daughters this morning about what to wear! (Usually I'm loudly telling them, "yes, I know it's Springtime... but you're still going to have to wear jeans because it's cold outside!") Not today!!! Wanna wear your Summer clothes? Go for it. The only warning I had to give was, "You can wear any dress you want - but it is going to be windy so it might blow up on the playground." Other than that? They could go to school in anything but spaghetti straps and flip flops. (There is a dress code, after all.)
And what does Mom have planned for this beautiful day? Lunch with friends? No. A good book to be read outside under the shade of a beautiful tree? Wrong again.
Because I scheduled today to be carpet cleaning day. And not the kind where the man in uniform comes and takes care of it all for while I enjoy a latte and the newspaper. The kind where I break out our handy dandy steam cleaner for (please God) the last time, and tackle the family room carpet.
On the most beautiful day so far this year.
Because I'm all about good timing.
Friday, May 15, 2009
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Tomorrow
It's time for Dodi's Annual (sadly I admit that I have a garage sale practically every year) Springtime Garage Sale!
Come join us! Among the treasures you'll find:
Stuffed Animals!
Outdated Electronics!
All Things Dora! (Chinese lead included at NO EXTRA CHARGE!)
Care Bears!
Ugly Glassware!
Mildly tattered children's books!
Dress up clothes and used crap that everyone needs!
It's practically a carnival in my front yard!!
Seriously, though, I bitch about the garage sales when I'm getting ready for them... but we almost always have a good time during them. I always have a friend or two joining me for the day, selling their castoffs alongside mine. Neighborhood sisterwives drop by for a chat, people come from foreign lands - speaking the Spanish that remains elusive to me, Mrs. Kravitz joins us for laughs and giggles... it's (as I mentioned above) practically a carnival in my front yard! (OK, that might be stretching it... but it's usually not so bad.) We even managed to have fun last year, with my mother newly gone and GF's dad newly diagnosed with cancer. (GF is one of my tried and true Garage Sale Partners. AM used to join us, but then she rudely moved to Georgia and broke up the Flea Marketing Trio. Boo. Hiss.) This year it is GF's dad who is recently passed, and it's my turn to be there for her. (Although, and those of you who know her can attest, she is the strongest woman I know.) Even if she doesn't need a shoulder, I know we'll have lots of laughs.
Because it's going to be Garage Sale Day at Dodi's house.
Now... if anyone has any large, plastic outdoor toys? We need something to draw the buyers in... as Mrs. Kravitz (once again) has refused to offer a bikini car wash next door. She's killing our profits!
Come join us! Among the treasures you'll find:
Stuffed Animals!
Outdated Electronics!
All Things Dora! (Chinese lead included at NO EXTRA CHARGE!)
Care Bears!
Ugly Glassware!
Mildly tattered children's books!
Dress up clothes and used crap that everyone needs!
It's practically a carnival in my front yard!!
Seriously, though, I bitch about the garage sales when I'm getting ready for them... but we almost always have a good time during them. I always have a friend or two joining me for the day, selling their castoffs alongside mine. Neighborhood sisterwives drop by for a chat, people come from foreign lands - speaking the Spanish that remains elusive to me, Mrs. Kravitz joins us for laughs and giggles... it's (as I mentioned above) practically a carnival in my front yard! (OK, that might be stretching it... but it's usually not so bad.) We even managed to have fun last year, with my mother newly gone and GF's dad newly diagnosed with cancer. (GF is one of my tried and true Garage Sale Partners. AM used to join us, but then she rudely moved to Georgia and broke up the Flea Marketing Trio. Boo. Hiss.) This year it is GF's dad who is recently passed, and it's my turn to be there for her. (Although, and those of you who know her can attest, she is the strongest woman I know.) Even if she doesn't need a shoulder, I know we'll have lots of laughs.
Because it's going to be Garage Sale Day at Dodi's house.
Now... if anyone has any large, plastic outdoor toys? We need something to draw the buyers in... as Mrs. Kravitz (once again) has refused to offer a bikini car wash next door. She's killing our profits!
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Yaaaarrrgggghhhh!
Too much to do!
Too much to do!
Too much to do!
(I'm feeling a little overwhelmed, does it show?)
Too much to do!
Too much to do!
(I'm feeling a little overwhelmed, does it show?)
Monday, May 11, 2009
Go Flat Stanley!
Second graders around the country are rejoicing today:
Flat Stanley made it to the White House Correspondents’ dinner this weekend! I would never have guessed during our trip to NY last year, that "Flat" (as he came to be known during our journey) would be the dinner date of Ed Westwick just one short year later.
Flat Stanley? That's MISTER Flat Stanley to you!
Friday, May 8, 2009
SMA Friday
Whew, almost missed it again! Here's Hugh in Paris. I think the two go really well together.
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Sunday, May 3, 2009
Our dog Bo
Have I ever told you how Bo came to be a beloved member of our family?
Five years ago our darling boxer, Kirby, died. We were devastated, and Hannah, our Husky and Kirby's best friend in the entire world, went a little crazy - or a lot crazy depending on the week. By the end of the Winter we knew that it was time to get another dog for her. We called Boxer Rescue. They didn't have a dog that fit our needs (as we wanted a male who was about her same age), but they'd let us know.
About a month later they had a dog for us to meet. His name was Bo, he was about a year younger than Hannah, and he was being surrendered from his second home. Hearing this, we were sure we'd find a hyper dog with something wrong with him.
The dog we met was the most mellow, loving, adorable boxer boy ever (along with Kirby, of course). The woman from Boxer Rescue said she would only place him with us if we agreed to be his forever family. We couldn't imagine not loving this dog forever - but asked why he had been surrendered to Boxer Rescue not once, but twice? His first owner had to move out of state, and didn't want to take him with them, and his second owners were getting a divorce and could no longer keep the dogs they had. How awful is that? I cannot stand people who think a pet is no more important than a piece of furniture. It doesn't quite fit? Get rid of it. It's really hateful.
Our DD1, who was 5 at the time and had clasped herself around Bo the second he came in to the room, told the woman "we will love him forever." The woman from Boxer Rescue cried, and we told her that - barring any bizarre behavior in the next month or so - we absolutely took animals in to our home as a "forever" agreement only. Bo would be our 3rd rescue dog, and we took that responsibility very seriously.
And, to this day, we cannot fathom anyone ever giving this dog away for any reason. He came to us with the most perfect manners and the most gentle disposition of any dog we've ever had. He was a joy, a love sponge, so amazing with our kids - never, ever minding them prodding him and being showered with their attention. After his first year, some of his impeccable manners had lessened, we're a fairly relaxed group about things like joining us in the same room for dinner - and his playful side had appeared. He was so dear!
We were his forever home. We loved him, we treasured him, and we never forgot how lucky we were that he found his way in to our lives. Bo had two little funny swirls of fur, one below each shoulder. In reading DD1's story journal not long ago I read a story she wrote about that being where his wings were attached when he was an angel.
Bo died on Friday night. We are sad, and we miss him so much. The unconditional love of a dog is a gift, and we will forever be grateful for the gift of his love, and hope we loved him enough in return. He will always be our angel dog.
Five years ago our darling boxer, Kirby, died. We were devastated, and Hannah, our Husky and Kirby's best friend in the entire world, went a little crazy - or a lot crazy depending on the week. By the end of the Winter we knew that it was time to get another dog for her. We called Boxer Rescue. They didn't have a dog that fit our needs (as we wanted a male who was about her same age), but they'd let us know.
About a month later they had a dog for us to meet. His name was Bo, he was about a year younger than Hannah, and he was being surrendered from his second home. Hearing this, we were sure we'd find a hyper dog with something wrong with him.
The dog we met was the most mellow, loving, adorable boxer boy ever (along with Kirby, of course). The woman from Boxer Rescue said she would only place him with us if we agreed to be his forever family. We couldn't imagine not loving this dog forever - but asked why he had been surrendered to Boxer Rescue not once, but twice? His first owner had to move out of state, and didn't want to take him with them, and his second owners were getting a divorce and could no longer keep the dogs they had. How awful is that? I cannot stand people who think a pet is no more important than a piece of furniture. It doesn't quite fit? Get rid of it. It's really hateful.
Our DD1, who was 5 at the time and had clasped herself around Bo the second he came in to the room, told the woman "we will love him forever." The woman from Boxer Rescue cried, and we told her that - barring any bizarre behavior in the next month or so - we absolutely took animals in to our home as a "forever" agreement only. Bo would be our 3rd rescue dog, and we took that responsibility very seriously.
And, to this day, we cannot fathom anyone ever giving this dog away for any reason. He came to us with the most perfect manners and the most gentle disposition of any dog we've ever had. He was a joy, a love sponge, so amazing with our kids - never, ever minding them prodding him and being showered with their attention. After his first year, some of his impeccable manners had lessened, we're a fairly relaxed group about things like joining us in the same room for dinner - and his playful side had appeared. He was so dear!
We were his forever home. We loved him, we treasured him, and we never forgot how lucky we were that he found his way in to our lives. Bo had two little funny swirls of fur, one below each shoulder. In reading DD1's story journal not long ago I read a story she wrote about that being where his wings were attached when he was an angel.
Bo died on Friday night. We are sad, and we miss him so much. The unconditional love of a dog is a gift, and we will forever be grateful for the gift of his love, and hope we loved him enough in return. He will always be our angel dog.
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