America's Next Top Pirate

Soren was playing pirate on the deck today in her new dress. The loveseat was her ship. I said, "Soren, you are the prettiest pirate ever." She said, "I know, Mom. Now go take my picture."

Kid of Character

Evelyn was chosen by her teacher to be September's Kid of Character for her class. We are very proud of her for listening, being helpful, and doing what she is asked. She was always there to give the other girls a hug when they were sad to be away from mom and dad those first few weeks of school. She has become so helpful around the house and is always enthusiastic about the homework that is assigned.

Way to go Miss Evelyn! Hey, why is that little boy so close to my baby? I think maybe I should get used to that...

Annie Update

In kitten news, Annie is still alive despite all efforts of the girls to kill her with kindness. They call her their baby and say stuff like, "Come to mommy" while carrying her around in a very uncomfortable looking manner. Annie just purrs. They make her little beds out of my couch pillows and always want her to snuggle in their laps.


She sits on/in everything, even the step stool flipped upside down.


Annie has got most of us wrapped around her finger. She even stole Mo's chewy bone from her. Imagine that, a tiny kitten stealing from a 20 pound dog. Who says good looks (and possibly sharp claws) won't get you far?

Easy Like Sunday Morning

Sunday is truly our only day off, no obligations besides the newspaper and coffee pot. Colby decided donuts would be the perfect accompanyment to this Sunday's mood of relaxation. No one was about to disagree.

Soren wanted a chocolate one with "prinkles."


Evelyn wanted creme inside hers. And, yes, we must have our hair done even before we eat breakfast.


Dade wanted the biggest one they had. Colby says he remembers his dad going to LeMar's donuts and getting him and his brother these same ginormous donuts. The tradition lives on.


Brody just didn't want his photo taken. Surprise, surprise. That's him ducking under the table. Someday he'll complain that there aren't any photos of him: #1 because he always complains and #2 hopefully I will have this blog to remind him of his, um, camera shyness.

Happy Birthday, Dade!

The little boy who first made me a mom is quickly becoming the young man who makes me feel old. It's hard to believe that Dade is almost a teenager, and that I was only a teenager when he was born. I am pleased to say that being a teen mom was, for me at least, not a horrible statistic or the hot mess you see on those teen mom tv shows thanks mostly to my fantastic baby daddy and my own sense of responsibility (which sadly seems to be lacking on the tv shows).

But enough about me...let's talk a minute about the birthday boy. First off, he's funny. He definitely has my sense of humor, and many times we are the only ones laughing at each other's jokes. We don't care. We get each other.

Second, he's smart. He remembers everything, including stuff that I have long since forgotten. I hope someday he can forget all the times we are too hard on him. I hope he understands that even though his ADHD makes him often so difficult to deal with that it also makes him stronger and more resilient.

Happy Birthday, Dade! I hope you enjoy the rest of the year and all it's events: taking hunter safety class, hunting with Grandpa, building snow forts, playing in band concerts, opening Christmas presents, and so much more.

The day of his actual birthday was great. Grandpa and Grandma Vesely came down to help celebrate. After stuffing himself at Valentino's buffet, Dade got to have ice cream cake (of which he asked for a "really small piece, Mom").



He also opened presents, of course, and got a gutting knife for deer hunting from Grandpa Dean. I am already having nightmares of him jabbing himself in the leg, thank you very much. I only wish Grandpa Dean lived a bit closer. He and Dade would be best friends. They could hunt, fish, read, and golf together, and when Dade got annoying Grandpa could just doze off.


Perhaps his favorite gift is the video game I picked out for him. We pretty much didn't see him for two days because he was so enthralled. Well, it was his birthday, so I let him play nonstop.



Now he's sadly back to video game rationing, homework, and reading (We also got him The Swiss Family Robinson, and he is quickly reading all of Colby's old Hardy Boys books). Such is the life of a pre teen.

(Un)Pretty Packages

One of my regular readers is a Martha Stewart caliber gift wrapper. In true Vesely tradition, I had to use newspaper to wrap Dade's birthday presents. I don't even know where my wrapping paper is located. Oh well. I assume a 12-year-old boy doesn't care anyway. For god's sake, my tape is even missing the holder in came in, so I had to cut it with scissors.


Also, after yesterday's events (being up all night because of the shooting), I want to wish my sister-in-law Carrie a happy birthday! Wishing her many more years of happiness. I bet she wishes she had a birthday girl shirt like Evelyn. :-)

You Know Those 2 am Phone Calls? Never Good News

Yes, it's 3 am. I have been awake for over an hour now. My blood is running cold. I just want to sit with Colby. A cat or two has joined us. It's the middle of the night, but this isn't a dream.

There was a shooting across the street from Farmland Foods in Crete where Colby works. An employee walked in and started shooting and then apparently killed himself. The details are sketchy right now.

All I know for sure is this: my husband has a dangerous job. He suspends, investigates, and fires people. He changes people's lives, sometimes not in a good way. It wouldn't be difficult for someone to get angry and shoot him at work. Farmland Foods has security but not like a courthouse. Colby's work area is an easy target.

I never, ever worried until tonight that Colby could die at work. He has since day one of his job believed that we can't live in Crete because he doesn't want people to know where we live. I certainly worried that he could get punched in the face, but never shot.

Let's hope that lightning doesn't strike twice.

Wednesday

Here it is, Wednesday. It has been one of those weeks where I spend so much time doing stuff but I don't ever seem to get anything done. Between the gym, the grocery store, and the library, Soren and I have been go, go, going.

Speaking of going, Soren has been a little back set driver lately. She's always saying things like, "Two hands on the steering wheel, Mom," and "I can't see both your hands, Mom," and "You're going to fast, Mom." Today she says on the way home from the Y and story time, "Tell me the twooth, Mom, or I will give you a panken when we get to the store. Are you driving too fast or not?" Well, I never got that "panken" because I wasn't speeding, plus I let her push one of those miniature shopping carts at the store so she forgot that she had planned to spank me. She did slam into my heel a couple of times with that damn cart. And she thinks I am the bad driver...

Only three more years until she starts kindergarten.

Just Another Manic Monday

As if I needed just a few more things on my plate, Brody was elected by his class to student council. As such, I drive him to school at 8:10 am, turn around and come home, and then drive Evelyn back to school around 8:45 am. I'm glad that he was elected, but I am not looking forward to two trips to school every Monday, especially when it is snowing.

After dropping Evie off, Soren and I headed to the Y for a workout. I was going to take her swimming, but she didn't want to. Very, very strange. Last Friday when we went swimming, there were some disabled adults there with their caretakers. I understand that mentally and physically disabled people can seem strange and scary to young children, and I think the experience may have scared Soren away from the pool. I will try again on Wednesday, and we'll see of she agrees to go swimming. Either way, I signed her up for swimming lessons in October, so she'll have to get back in the pool sometime.

I also have bowling tonight. Last week's season opener was cancelled because one quarter of Lincoln, including the bowling alley, was without power due to a storm. Tonight is Spare Me's fall debut with their newest team member: yours truly.

Mondays are now the beginning of the evermore hectic week for the Vescapades family. Our only day off from the craziness is Sunday. Hey, at least shorts weather is almost over so I can stop shaving my legs all the time. That extra 10 minutes a day is priceless.

Typical Fall Saturday

Now that school has started, Saturdays are a time for hanging out and relaxation. Of course, there's no time for sleeping in with Soren's dance class starting at 8:30 am. Evelyn's dance class is at 9:50 am, so we spend most of our Saturday mornings in the Creamery Building where the dance studio is (and also Ivanna Cone and a bookstore) or right outside at the Farmer's Market.


After dance, Evie and I headed to Barnes & Noble for a photo with the Cat in the Hat. The public television station took photos and will e-mail them to me, so I don't have a photo of my own to post. She had a lovely time and picked up a clearance notebook. She has already begun to fill it with little girl doodlings.


There was a Husker game on t.v., so my neighbor Ja and her grand kids came over to watch it with us. Ja doesn't have a t.v. at her house. Well, she has one that we are letting her use, but she doesn't have cable or an antenna or anything. Ja's husband Deland doesn't even like having a t.v. in the house, but Ja keeps one there for the grand kids.





The kids ate smokies, puppy chow, and other junk food. Soren calls them "pokies" instead of smokies which is unbelievably cute. And, of course, the dog is under the table clearing up any crumbs that might fall.


Of course, the kitten is still taking plenty of abuse, but she has survived her first week in the Vescapades house. No small feat, indeed.

Smart Mouth

Our breakfast conversation this morning:

Me: Brody, why is it that every time there is a problem at the table during a meal you've caused it? I keep telling you to stop running your mouth because it's gonna get you into trouble.

Brody: My mouth didn't get me these burnt hands.

Touche.

Really Delaware?

Christine O'Donnell won the Republican senate primary in Delaware against GOP favorite Mike Castle this week. Ms. O'Donnell is Sarah Palin's little minion. Ms. O'Donnell is also:

...a big believer that countries run by religious beliefs are awesome, despite numerous examples to the contrary:
"We took the Bible and prayer out of public schools. Now we're having weekly shootings. We had the 60s sexual revolution, and now people are dying of AIDS."

...using gender stereotypes that demean both men and women.
"You know, these are the kind of cheap, underhanded, un-manly tactics that we've come to expect from Obama's favorite Republican, Mike Castle [..] Mike, this is not a bake-off, get your man-pants on."

...an idiot.
"God may choose to heal someone from cancer, yet that person still has a great deal of medical bills. The outstanding bills do not determine whether or not the patient has been healed by God."

...a huge frickin' moron.
"America is now a socialist economy. The definition of a socialist economy is when 50% or more your economy is dependent on the federal government."

John Stewart is gonna have a ball with you, lady.

(note: all quotes taken from huffingtonpost.com)

Brody's Burns

Sunday evening Brody was playing over at the house down the street. Unfortunately, he put both hands on their grill when it was hot and burned both of his hands. Both hands have second degree burns, so we'll have to keep them bandaged until they heal - up to three weeks. He's pretty bummed that he can't go to the pool, and it's almost impossible to ride his bike. All the kids learned a valuable lesson: don't touch a grill, stove, or pan because it might be hot. In true Brody fashion he said this while we were looking at his newly-burned hands: "Why does everything have to be hot?" Yes, it's the grill's fault, and apparently "everything" is hot.

Of course, he won't let me take a picture, but I snuck one anyway.


It hurts for him to move his fingers and bend his hands right now. Doctor Hottie said the burns look good and should heal without any loss of movement. The new skin will be tender and tight at first, but that will pass.

Good thing he refused to play fall sports.

Camping Out

My sister in law Carrie was in town this weekend, and she was nice enough to bring a tent along with her. The kids have been begging to camp out in the backyard, and since Carrie said she would sleep outside with them, I figured now would be the perfect time.

Brody invited his friend Caeden to stay, and the two of them wanted their tent in the fort. Colby, Dade, and Carrie set up the Vescapades campsite.


All the kids settled in and fell asleep pretty quickly. Dade, Carrie, and the girls (oh, and Penn) shared the big tent; Caeden and Brody shared the small tent.



All was well until 3 am when Evelyn came inside and proceeded to throw up three times. Carrie wasn't feeling well either, but luckily no one besides Evie barfed. We brought Soren inside since there were no grown-ups left out there. The boys stayed outside all through the night and had a great camp out.

Evelyn felt fine by the next morning, thank goodness. Hey, Carrie. They can't wait for you to come and have another camp out with them.

We Got Annie!

Meet the newest addition to the Vescapades family: Annie. When I saw her at our veterinarian clinic, I figured she'd be coming home with us. The vet said that this group was the best bunch of kittens they had ever had at the clinic. He's a great salesman, obviously.

I named her Annie because the girls love the musical about the little orphan that finds a family. Our new kitten was an orphan, too, and now she has a family.


Tiger has been in a foul mood since her arrival. Really though, is he ever in a good mood? Not so much. He has successfully banned her from the basement, so we got her a litter box for upstairs. Once she's bigger we'll move it downstairs, and Tiger will just have to deal with it.

So far she's fitting in quite well. The dogs aren't bothered at all by her presence, and Annie hasn't so much as swatted a claw at them. I think even Daddy might like her just a little bit.

Flat Apple Pie

I am 31 years old but had never made a scratch pie crust until last night. I read a recipe for something called Flat Apple Pie in a Pioneer Woman cookbook that sounded yummy. I figured that since I am good at baking tasty treats that don't necessarily look the fanciest, an apple pie that was quite rustic would be perfect.

So, I made pie crust from scratch. The recipe recommended freezing the dough for extra flakiness. Here are my pretty pie crusts ready to go in the freezer.


When I thawed them and used them the next day, I found them to be a bit sticky but crumbly. I couldn't just lift them up off the counter and put them on the baking sheet like I can with the store bought kind. I made due by flipping them from the cutting board to the baking sheet.

Making apple pie filling (I have done this before and used store-bought crusts for the pie) is pretty simple, but it is time consuming and a little messy.


The rustic little pies smelled like heaven as they baked. I think Colby and I are the only ones that ate the pies, but I'm surely not complaining about that. In fact, I purposefully make things I know the kids won't eat just so I have the chance to have a bite for once.


I'm sure I will attempt pie crusts again. Hey, when you've got cute aprons, you can't help but want to bake.

And Another Thing...

I'm getting really tired of hearing so many people on t.v. and in person totally criticizing the poor/unemployed/immigrants. First of all, some people really can't find a job. They aren't lazy. Second of all, poor people are PEOPLE and deserve to be respected. I see all over Facebook people like the idea of making folks take a drug test before receiving welfare. Yes, please let the GOVERNMENT drug test me COMPLETELY WITHOUT REASON. I'm pretty sure there's even something in the Constitution about unreasonable search and seizure...

I'd also like to point out that an NFL player lost his $50,000 diamond earring at practice the other day. And Kim Kardashian, though in her twenties, gets Botox. And Suri Cruise, who's probably 4 years old, wears shoes that cost more than my grocery bill.

If you ask me, it's just shameful that Americans have not only given up on the least of our brethren but point fingers at them while still thinking it's just plain cool to blow money on diamonds and Botox. There is nothing wrong or shameful about being wealthy. In fact, the super wealthy around the world give millions and even billions of dollars to charity. There is, however, something wrong when we admire our leaders for rewarding the wealthy at the expense of those without means. Who are the real bad guys here? It's so easy to blame the indigent, the foreigner, the "other guy."

I'm just saying... Look around and see what you find shameful about our society.

A Late Labor Day Note

I pulled the following speech off of Huffington Post.com. It is beautiful. Whether it was actually spoken by Robert Kennedy, I don't know. It doesn't matter. Enjoy.

Here is what Robert Kennedy had to say on Labor Day, 42 years ago:

"Too much and too long, we seem to have surrendered community excellence and community values in the mere accumulation of material things. Our gross national product ... if we should judge America by that - counts air pollution and cigarette advertising, and ambulances to clear our highways of carnage.

"It counts special locks for our doors and the jails for those who break them. It counts the destruction of our redwoods and the loss of our natural wonder in chaotic sprawl. It counts napalm and the cost of a nuclear warhead, and armored cars for police who fight riots in our streets. It counts Whitman's rifle and Speck's knife, and the television programs which glorify violence in order to sell toys to our children.

"Yet the gross national product does not allow for the health of our children, the quality of their education, or the joy of their play. It does not include the beauty of our poetry or the strength of our marriages; the intelligence of our public debate or the integrity of our public officials. It measures neither our wit nor our courage; neither our wisdom nor our learning; neither our compassion nor our devotion to our country; it measures everything, in short, except that which makes life worthwhile. And it tells us everything about America except why we are proud that we are Americans."

Mystery Vine

Starting in the peak of the summer heat, a little vine started making its way up the dog kennel fence near the compost pile. I have been really excited to see what the vine would produce. I thought it would be the little gourd pumpkins we planted in the garden last year. Or maybe a watermelon.


To my surprise, I think it might just be a cantaloupe. There is a big, green melon of some kind, not smooth like a watermelon, and it has that dimply skin like a cantaloupe. I guess we'll see if it matures before the temperatures get too cold.

Basement Remodel IV

It looks as though our basement remodel is complete. Finally. We waited for weeks for the custom closet doors to arrive, and once they did Colby quickly got the shelves built and the doors installed. The shelves were dusty, so Evie quickly got to work cleaning them off. Tiger quickly got to work laying his fat butt on the shelves.


So, here's the finished project.

Dark Chocolate and Bacon Cupcakes

This week was someone's birthday at Colby's office, and they always have a little potluck to celebrate. I stumbled upon a recipe for chocolate cupcakes with bacon, fitting since Colby works at a pork processing plant.

I had to start by cooking the bacon. I like to bake it in the oven. The dogs abandoned their posts as yard guardians once the smell of cooking bacon wafted into the yard. They wanted to come inside real bad.


I'm not going to post the cake recipe, but I can if someone is interested. It had coffee and buttermilk in it. You could certainly use a box cake mix, and I actually prefer boxed cake to homemade. I put the cooked, crispy 12 strips of bacon in the food processor so it would be chopped into small pieces. I stirred it into the cupcakes and baked as usual.


Even though I hadn't yet tasted them, the cupcakes smelled delicious. I waited for them to cool just a bit after baking before I broke one open to have a look...and a taste.


I could taste the bacon's smokiness intensely after I swallowed that first bite, but Colby said most of the people at work didn't even notice. Really? I thought they definitely tasted like bacon.

I topped them with an easy chocolate ganache made of chopped bittersweet chocolate and heavy cream.




Soren, Evie, Colby, and Brody all loved them. The one person who didn't like them was Dade. The one who could eat a whole pound of bacon all by himself didn't like the bacon cupcakes. He said all he tasted was coffee, and that was before he knew there was coffee in the batter.