When something happens here that would typically get a "dang!" or "what the hell?" Josephine says "Cheese and Crackers!"
It's pretty awesome.
6.28.2010
the birds don't hate her
So here's my problem. I plan on posting here but I have pictures that go along with the post I have in mind and I am only getting worse at finding my camera's cord and uploading the pictures to my computer...so then I don't post anything thinking I'll get to it soon but obviously I don't. I'm gonna try something new, something crazy, something you've never seen before, I'm gonna post when I have something to say and leave the picture uploading to Flickr when I get around it. WOW! I am a blogging genius!
We are back from Yellowstone and no one got mauled by a bison or scalded by a geyser. Success! Josephine played nicely with her cousins she met for the first time which was fantastic. I made tote bags for everyone, well, I screen printed on pre-made bags, and filled them with cowboy hats, cowboy boot shaped can coozies, and jerky. We ordered M&Ms with my grandmother's face on them and I made fortune cookies and stuffed them with Wyoming fun facts. The cookies were yummy, not pretty, but still worth making.
I got my last haircut with "my" stylist because she is moving and even though I loved it I took the scissors to it a few days ago and while it's not fabulous it's not bad either...
Josephine has been growing ridiculously fast lately. Physically, she's been mostly napping and eating for about a week, but mentally she seems to be putting so much together in her head that she hadn't done before. Unfortunately she is also repeating all the awful things she's heard in the past two years that everyone thought she was ignoring... I want to go back in time and glue everyone's mouth shut. It's odd to hear here say "dang it!" which isn't bad, but she's called me a jerk, said she hates me and also that the birds hate her...The jerk one was easy to figure out where she got it (sister) and I've probably said it in front of her too, but the hate one really threw me for a loop. I never say I hate things and I'm especially careful to never say I hate any person. Hearing someone say they hate another person makes me super uncomfortable. My heart broke for a little bit with that one.
While I'm on the topic of annoying things my 2 year old does...She is obsessed with driving... I made a car out of a cardboard box but that was only good enough for about a day. Every day, all day, for the past few weeks Joey asks, begs, demands that I let her "drive" which means sitting in the driver's seat in whatever car is in the garage and pretending to go to the beach or on a hiking trip. I don't know how to type out how annoying it is because I know right now it sounds pretty tame but oh my gosh she won't shut up!
Joey, my parents and I are driving to Colorado this weekend for my great aunt's 90th birthday. Wish me luck.
We are back from Yellowstone and no one got mauled by a bison or scalded by a geyser. Success! Josephine played nicely with her cousins she met for the first time which was fantastic. I made tote bags for everyone, well, I screen printed on pre-made bags, and filled them with cowboy hats, cowboy boot shaped can coozies, and jerky. We ordered M&Ms with my grandmother's face on them and I made fortune cookies and stuffed them with Wyoming fun facts. The cookies were yummy, not pretty, but still worth making.
I got my last haircut with "my" stylist because she is moving and even though I loved it I took the scissors to it a few days ago and while it's not fabulous it's not bad either...
Josephine has been growing ridiculously fast lately. Physically, she's been mostly napping and eating for about a week, but mentally she seems to be putting so much together in her head that she hadn't done before. Unfortunately she is also repeating all the awful things she's heard in the past two years that everyone thought she was ignoring... I want to go back in time and glue everyone's mouth shut. It's odd to hear here say "dang it!" which isn't bad, but she's called me a jerk, said she hates me and also that the birds hate her...The jerk one was easy to figure out where she got it (sister) and I've probably said it in front of her too, but the hate one really threw me for a loop. I never say I hate things and I'm especially careful to never say I hate any person. Hearing someone say they hate another person makes me super uncomfortable. My heart broke for a little bit with that one.
While I'm on the topic of annoying things my 2 year old does...She is obsessed with driving... I made a car out of a cardboard box but that was only good enough for about a day. Every day, all day, for the past few weeks Joey asks, begs, demands that I let her "drive" which means sitting in the driver's seat in whatever car is in the garage and pretending to go to the beach or on a hiking trip. I don't know how to type out how annoying it is because I know right now it sounds pretty tame but oh my gosh she won't shut up!
Joey, my parents and I are driving to Colorado this weekend for my great aunt's 90th birthday. Wish me luck.
5.21.2010
at this rate, the end of the world might come before i post again...
You know how there have been a lot of bad earthquakes lately, a tsunami, and then that volcano in Iceland that just wont quit? Yeah, so if you wanted to think of this as like a natural disaster opening ceremonies then you would look down the line and see the the grand finale is the eruption of Yellowstone. How you seen the movie 2012?
Guess where we are hosting a family reunion this summer? YELLOWSTONE! Let's hope that if mother nature is going to provide a fireworks show that it's when we are there to see it! (or we have all boarded the ship that's moving us to the moon, not like we could survive it even if we are back home).
.
I made homemade pop-tarts the other day, some with boysenberry jam and some with nutella, delicious.
And since I'm thinking about food, let me give you the best tomato soup recipe ever. Like, ever. I don't like chunks of cooked tomato in my chili or marinara sauce and I think the cream of tomato soups in a can are only OK but this soup totally changed all my ideas of what tomato soup can be. Please try it.
Slice several garlic cloves but not too small, I like being able to bite into my garlic, you will too. Cook the garlic in a little oil for a few minutes.
Peel and dice 8-10 plumb tomatoes (I think I ended up using Roma because we had plenty already and the grocery I went to doesn't have plumb tomatoes)
Simmer tomatoes (and garlic) in a good quality stock until they start to break down. Like 15-20 minutes.
In each bowl place a slice of day-old crusty french bread...or buy a baguette the day of and toast it because who buys bread and leaves it out all day? Your cat will jump up on the counter after you've gone to bed and get her cat germs all over it. Gross.
Crack an egg over each piece of bread.
This is when you are supposed to ladle the soup over the egg and put the bowl in the oven for 5 min at 400 but when I did that the first time I ended up microwaving the bowls for a few seconds because the egg whites didn't cook enough and everyone was grossed out. Sooooooooo, I put the egg and bread in the oven first so that I could watch them better, until the whites have just set, and then ladle the soup over them.
Top with chopped parsley.
I have some parsley growing in my little garden. I mean, I have a parsley MONSTER growing. I planted some last year and didn't even expect it to grow because that was the soil that Josephine decided to "help" me with and scooped it up and plopped it into the basil pot... I scooped it out, the parsley flourished, the basil never grew. This year the parsley came back pretty early, it's gone through some snow and freezing nights but it has persevered. The last time I went to cut some I decided to cut it back before it took over the rest of my herbs and I cut through stalks that were as big around as a quarter. Yeesh.
Anyway, the leftover soup is great alone too but the bread really makes it so toss in some croutons or something, because you at the rest of the baguette loaf before the dishes were even cleared from the table.
Guess where we are hosting a family reunion this summer? YELLOWSTONE! Let's hope that if mother nature is going to provide a fireworks show that it's when we are there to see it! (or we have all boarded the ship that's moving us to the moon, not like we could survive it even if we are back home).
.
I made homemade pop-tarts the other day, some with boysenberry jam and some with nutella, delicious.
And since I'm thinking about food, let me give you the best tomato soup recipe ever. Like, ever. I don't like chunks of cooked tomato in my chili or marinara sauce and I think the cream of tomato soups in a can are only OK but this soup totally changed all my ideas of what tomato soup can be. Please try it.
Slice several garlic cloves but not too small, I like being able to bite into my garlic, you will too. Cook the garlic in a little oil for a few minutes.
Peel and dice 8-10 plumb tomatoes (I think I ended up using Roma because we had plenty already and the grocery I went to doesn't have plumb tomatoes)
Simmer tomatoes (and garlic) in a good quality stock until they start to break down. Like 15-20 minutes.
In each bowl place a slice of day-old crusty french bread...or buy a baguette the day of and toast it because who buys bread and leaves it out all day? Your cat will jump up on the counter after you've gone to bed and get her cat germs all over it. Gross.
Crack an egg over each piece of bread.
This is when you are supposed to ladle the soup over the egg and put the bowl in the oven for 5 min at 400 but when I did that the first time I ended up microwaving the bowls for a few seconds because the egg whites didn't cook enough and everyone was grossed out. Sooooooooo, I put the egg and bread in the oven first so that I could watch them better, until the whites have just set, and then ladle the soup over them.
Top with chopped parsley.
I have some parsley growing in my little garden. I mean, I have a parsley MONSTER growing. I planted some last year and didn't even expect it to grow because that was the soil that Josephine decided to "help" me with and scooped it up and plopped it into the basil pot... I scooped it out, the parsley flourished, the basil never grew. This year the parsley came back pretty early, it's gone through some snow and freezing nights but it has persevered. The last time I went to cut some I decided to cut it back before it took over the rest of my herbs and I cut through stalks that were as big around as a quarter. Yeesh.
Anyway, the leftover soup is great alone too but the bread really makes it so toss in some croutons or something, because you at the rest of the baguette loaf before the dishes were even cleared from the table.
4.12.2010
A Love Story
Josephine totally loves me, I know, but lately there has been a new leading lady in her life.
Billie Jean, named for the Michael Jackson song, not the tennis player, is my brother's pit bull puppy and Josephine's BFF.
My brother got the puppy as the result of a recent break-up so he didn't have any plan as to what to do with her when he leaves for work so we are watching her until he figures something else out. He's brought her over several times before when he came for Sunday dinner and every time Josephine's heart nearly exploded with joy.
The days Billie is not here Josephine pretends to call her on my old cell phones all day.
These pictures are all from a few weeks ago but the love is still the same.
Billie Jean, named for the Michael Jackson song, not the tennis player, is my brother's pit bull puppy and Josephine's BFF.
My brother got the puppy as the result of a recent break-up so he didn't have any plan as to what to do with her when he leaves for work so we are watching her until he figures something else out. He's brought her over several times before when he came for Sunday dinner and every time Josephine's heart nearly exploded with joy.
The days Billie is not here Josephine pretends to call her on my old cell phones all day.
Snowball fight!
She's trying to roll her over.
Josephine's hair can get pretty out-of-control.
3.09.2010
i have some dessert and update my shit-list
Lots to catch up on eh? Let's get this going.
Remember the Superbowl? Way back then...well, I have no comment on the game. We had it on and my dad watched it but the rest of us just went on with our day like any other sunday. Just before the game started we were all in the kitchen when someone walked in the front door. Usually when someone lets themselves in it's my brother visiting or maybe my sister parked in the driveway instead of the garage. Out of habit someone yelled "YAY" when we heard the door open but when the guest walked around the corner we saw it was an old man. An old man that we've never seen before. But he had wine so we welcomed him. It tookabout 5 seconds for him to notice he was in the wrong house. Oops. It's ok though, we had plenty of beer in the fridge.
I made the most delicious cupcakes a long while ago. S'more cupcakes. I ate most of them myself, like two or three a day. I couldn't help it! They were easy too, here is the recipe I used: KAPOW! Just spend 5 minutes on that blog's archives and then go find your apron. You will be a hero.
Now, a few years ago this house had a semi-private back yard. But in the last two years where there used to be trees there are now houses. Houses so close that when the trees in our yard are bare (as they are now) you can see everything that goes on in the other houses if the blinds are up. We can hear everything that goes on when they are in thier back yard because it is no different than if they were in our yard.
This is going somewhere, I promise.
One of these newly super-close neighbors hadn't been home all winter, or so I thought. I hadn't seen or heard anything from that house since last summer when we heard them moving in, with two little kids running around. We never got the chance to meet them.
So back to naked Josephine. After stripping down she opens the back door to let the cat out. I call to her to hurry up and close the door since it's so cold out. She is two. She steps out onto the porch and shakes her butt. I grabbed my camera and get a 20 sec video of her assuring me it isn't cold out and then jumping back into the house because her toes are cold. There was no snow on the porch. She never took more than one step away from the house. The door never closed behind her. I'd show you the video to prove that she wasn't out there more than 30 seconds tops but, she's naked and this is the internet...so, no. I tell you all this because about 4 hours later the cops stop by to let me know a concerned neighbor called to report a naked baby in the back yard. He tells me it was the mystery neighbor house that I thought was empty.
So many things wrong with this.
Why didn't they come over themselves if they thought Joey had let herself out without my knowing?
They must have told the police that she was safely back in the house or else it wouldn't have taken 4 hours for them to come check-up on me.
I still haven't see any movement from that house, I guess I can't be 100% certain that the cop pointed to the right house. Or maybe they just don't like playing outside.
I am mostly calmed down from that day now, but I was quite upset for the rest of the day and the next day even.
I know that I'm a good mom. I don't doubt that. I HATE that I am no longer comfortable playing with Josephine in our own backyard.
Josephine, as I mentioned before, askes to watch a movie when she wakes up. I usually allow it if we have nothing going on, I get about a half hour of uninterupted time to plan, do homework, clean, or whatever before she's bored with it. Usually she wants Robots, Tinkerbell, or Cars, but I got her to start asking for Cry Baby on some mornings. Small victories.
I'm sending Josephine to Disney on Ice this week. With her aunt and her nana, not her mama...I am missing 'baby's first ice show' but I am getting a evening to myself. Fair trade.
Remember the Superbowl? Way back then...well, I have no comment on the game. We had it on and my dad watched it but the rest of us just went on with our day like any other sunday. Just before the game started we were all in the kitchen when someone walked in the front door. Usually when someone lets themselves in it's my brother visiting or maybe my sister parked in the driveway instead of the garage. Out of habit someone yelled "YAY" when we heard the door open but when the guest walked around the corner we saw it was an old man. An old man that we've never seen before. But he had wine so we welcomed him. It tookabout 5 seconds for him to notice he was in the wrong house. Oops. It's ok though, we had plenty of beer in the fridge.
I made the most delicious cupcakes a long while ago. S'more cupcakes. I ate most of them myself, like two or three a day. I couldn't help it! They were easy too, here is the recipe I used: KAPOW! Just spend 5 minutes on that blog's archives and then go find your apron. You will be a hero.
Now, a few years ago this house had a semi-private back yard. But in the last two years where there used to be trees there are now houses. Houses so close that when the trees in our yard are bare (as they are now) you can see everything that goes on in the other houses if the blinds are up. We can hear everything that goes on when they are in thier back yard because it is no different than if they were in our yard.
This is going somewhere, I promise.
One of these newly super-close neighbors hadn't been home all winter, or so I thought. I hadn't seen or heard anything from that house since last summer when we heard them moving in, with two little kids running around. We never got the chance to meet them.
So back to naked Josephine. After stripping down she opens the back door to let the cat out. I call to her to hurry up and close the door since it's so cold out. She is two. She steps out onto the porch and shakes her butt. I grabbed my camera and get a 20 sec video of her assuring me it isn't cold out and then jumping back into the house because her toes are cold. There was no snow on the porch. She never took more than one step away from the house. The door never closed behind her. I'd show you the video to prove that she wasn't out there more than 30 seconds tops but, she's naked and this is the internet...so, no. I tell you all this because about 4 hours later the cops stop by to let me know a concerned neighbor called to report a naked baby in the back yard. He tells me it was the mystery neighbor house that I thought was empty.
So many things wrong with this.
Why didn't they come over themselves if they thought Joey had let herself out without my knowing?
They must have told the police that she was safely back in the house or else it wouldn't have taken 4 hours for them to come check-up on me.
I still haven't see any movement from that house, I guess I can't be 100% certain that the cop pointed to the right house. Or maybe they just don't like playing outside.
I am mostly calmed down from that day now, but I was quite upset for the rest of the day and the next day even.
I know that I'm a good mom. I don't doubt that. I HATE that I am no longer comfortable playing with Josephine in our own backyard.
Playing with the panorama function on my camera.
I'm sending Josephine to Disney on Ice this week. With her aunt and her nana, not her mama...I am missing 'baby's first ice show' but I am getting a evening to myself. Fair trade.
She's got a honey+olive oil hair treatment in.
She knows how to relax
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