Vescapades

Snow Days (Finally)

2012-02-13T07:45:00.003-06:00

It's snowing again today, which reminds me to write a post about the 13.5 inches of snow we got last weekend. After a pretty much snow-free December and January with temperatures warmer here than in parts of Texas (no lie), we finally have a winter wonderland. The streets were quickly cleared of snow thanks to diligent snow plowing and the warm temperatures before/after the big snow fall. It looks like we were blanketed with a few more inches overnight, but sadly the snow plows won't come to my neighborhood for only a few inches. I'll have more trouble driving around in two inches of snow than in 13.

Snowy weekends are always better than snowy weeks because there isn't anywhere to go, and there's lots of time to play in the snow. Snowy weekends always lead me to endless baking, as well. The kids came inside from building snow forts to enjoy fresh hoagies, still-warm Chex mix, and hot cocoa:

Soren had a cute little cocoa mustache:

We also had some snow ice cream, although it was a little too cold outside to truly enjoy ice cream:

Of course, Mo Beans refuses to come inside despite the fact that it's cold and snowy...

...and so Dade has to chase her down in the yard and force her to come inside. Than he gets to dry her off.

Pinteresting

2012-02-11T19:26:00.004-06:00

Good lord, I've caught the Pinterest bug. As if wasting time on Etsy wasn't enough (thanks for introducing me to that Sassafras Mama), I'm now on Pinterest on and off throughout the day.

At least I've found some relevant and helpful ideas while Pinteresting (when I should be folding laundry/scrubbing toilets/homeschooling my child). For example, these no-sew flowers that I turned into pins for Evelyn's Girl Scout SWAP:

You can make them, too, just by following these simple directions. Seriously, if you have a glue gun, some buttons, and some fabric scraps you are good to go. Chardonnay is optional but always helpful.

My next Pinterest project is a menu planning board which I hope to start tomorrow. Hopefully, I'll have photos soon.

Wearing a New Hat

2012-02-08T16:39:00.004-06:00

I'm a mom. I'm a wife. I'm a great friend. I'm a baker. I'm a maid. I'm all that and more. Now, I am officially a yoga instructor in training!!!

I have been working hard over the last year, and yoga has been an amazing and empowering activity for me. I want to shout from the roof tops: LOOK AT MY ABS! HAVE YOU SEEN MY SHOULDERS? THEY'RE AWESOME! I am in seriously good shape, probably the best of my life. Not only that, but I am flexible. I am strong. I am, well, enough about me.

Let's talk about my new shirt. I wore it to my "job" interview at the YMCA:

'Nuff said.

Playing Chess

2012-02-06T16:23:00.000-06:00

Soren loves more than anything to play games: Go Fish, Old Maid, Candyland, and Sorry. Lately, she's been really interested in playing "chest" - chess. Thank goodness Colby plays games with the kids because I hate playing games. To put it mildly, I'm a sore loser. Even losing to a little kid pisses me off. So, I leave the game playing to my better half. I know Colby will hate me for posting an unflattering photo of him, but too bad. I think it is unbelievably sweet and awesome that he is teaching our 4-year-old to play chess. Even if it means she bitches at him the whole time for "doing it wrong" because she obviously "already knows how to do it." She is her mother's daughter.

Girl Scouts Update

2012-02-04T16:04:00.000-06:00

Have you all bought Girl Scout cookies?? I sure hope so! Selling cookies is the main way troops make money, especially Daisy troops like mine who can't take money from anyone besides troop parents. Girl Scouts Spirit of Nebraska is having a phenomenal year of cookie sales, so thanks to anyone who supported a local troop!

Last fall my troop collected coats, hats, and gloves for the neighborhood elementary school and the community center. We also collected new packages of socks and underwear for donation. Those in need often have lots of opportunities to purchase used clothing at a reduced price, but no one wants used scanties. No one. The troop's efforts earned them a patch for community service and a little time as local celebrities. Here's a page from this month's community newsletter featuring some of the girls in my troop donating socks and scanties to Dayna (the director of the community center):

Charity is a big part of Girl Scouts, just one more reason I love the GS organization. Giving to others, accepting others, accepting yourself, and promoting sisterhood...2012 marks the 100th year that GS has been promoting these ideals. Now, if we could just get the Boy Scouts to drop the homophobia and the complete disregard for those who aren't religious, we'd be really excited!

One of the projects we worked on was making a flower pot with each of the flowers the girls read about to earn their petals. Each flower represents a different part of the Girl Scout Law, and each petal the girls earn as they learn the GS Law forms a complete daisy on the girls' vests. The flower pot is just a reminder of all the important parts of being a Girl Scout. In case y'all don't know, here is the Girl Scout Law. And here is a photo of Evie's flower pot:

Kid of Character (Again)

2012-02-01T15:22:00.003-06:00

I don't like to brag (yes, I do), but Evelyn received the kid of character award at school again this year. I joke that she's learned how to channel her bossiness in a positive direction, at least at school. And I joke that she turns her need to be right into a need to make sure everyone else is right so they won't make her look bad. Honestly, she's a pretty great kid. She's helpful. She's funny. She loves to do chores. She plays endlessly with her sister. She loves babies and little kids.

While my daughter is most definitely my daughter, I always find myself claiming her good traits and passing her negative ones off on her Daddy. Problem is, I think she's pretty good at making those negative traits work for her. That's something I haven't yet mastered. You go, girl!

Having a good kid is supposedly a sign of good parenting. I'm suspicious that it might be a testament to a child's ability to overcome his/her parent's screw ups. Either way, I'll brag about my good kids as much as I can.

Rising Every Time We Fall

2012-01-30T15:32:00.002-06:00

I had a really challenging yoga practice today. Granted, when one attends classes called "Power Yoga" and "Yoga Sculpt" one expects to be challenged. Today was different. It was the first time in a long time that I really couldn't do something; I just couldn't lift myself.

At the end of the asana, we settled into child's pose to steady our breath and take a break. I don't know if it was just a case of the Mondays or what, but I honestly felt like crying. I felt defeated; I felt like I had let myself down. My go-to book on yoga wisdom goes on and on about how the mind and body are connected, and that if we can steady our minds we can steady our bodies (mind over matter, right?). Today was the first time I really and truly felt disappointed in my mind about something I couldn't do with my body. As the class continued, we practiced a very challenging series of leg-strengthening asanas. My legs and arms quivered (which I'm told is my muscles getting stronger...), but it wasn't just my muscles shaking. I also felt mentally shaky and still unsure of myself.

At the end of class as I cleaned off my yoga mat, my head was still spinning. My disappointment was still raw. My instructor was busy with another student after class, so I never got a chance to express my feelings to her and seek her always kind encouragement. I always have some kind of mantra running through my mind during class to help me through tough poses, but I was so totally thrown off guard that I couldn't even think of one helpful mantra to bring me back to center.

So, this afternoon after I cleaned the carpet and folded the laundry and chastised myself for letting Soren watch tv all day, I opened my trusty book of yoga wisdom to a chapter on enhancing resilience. I found a quote from Confucius that I think will make a great mantra for the next time I feel overcome by a challenge:

Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.

Be Careful What You Wish For

2012-01-25T14:56:00.003-06:00

Remember a few posts ago when I longed for an inspiring Republican presidential candidate? When I bemoaned Mitt Romney for being rich and arrogant and flippy-floppy? Remember when I wanted someone to outshine Romney and be something special?

I take it all back.

Ladies and gentlemen, Newt Gingrich is not the person of which I was speaking. For the love of all that is holy, let that man go back to the hole in the wall he crawled into after being shamed out of politics. I certainly want Barack Obama to be re-elected. I definitely think he's the man for the job - especially when who the Republicans bring to the table are people I wouldn't have dinner with much less vote for. However, I want Americans - all Americans- to have a choice when they vote. I don't want that choice to be which candidate sucks less ass than the other (or which candidate ISN'T Obama).

Maybe I'm just old fashioned, but I still believe in love. I still believe that there's someone out there for everyone. That soul mate. That "one" person who even though they piss you off so badly at times, you understand his/her flaws and find a way to overcome them.

Newt Gingrich is not the one. Dear god, he is soooooo not the one.

Yep. More Food

2012-01-21T09:31:00.001-06:00

I've had a lot of food posts recently, and that's probably why I haven't lost any weight since November: curse you, carbs! This post is actually more about a twist on an old favorite, chicken fried steak.

While cruising the meat section at the grocery store, I noticed that there were some tenderized pork cutlets. I'd never made chicken fried steak with pork before, and since the pork cutlets were from Farmalnd Foods (Holla!), I thought I'd give it a try.

Long story short: I will never use beef again. The pork seriously tasted so much better. Take a look at this and try not to wish you were in the pan with that bad boy:

Yes, that thing is as big as my frying pan.

Chicken fried pork with gravy is extremely bad for you. However, here's the main reason I only make it once in a blue moon: it makes a HUGE mess and takes forever to make it for 6 people.

That said, it was freaking AMAZING.

Girl Scouts Yoga

2012-01-17T09:25:00.001-06:00

Our Girl Scouts field trip for January was a trip to the YMCA for a yoga class with my instructor/friend Amy. We couldn't use the regular yoga room for our class, but we made due with one of the multipurpose rooms. The girls were working on earning a petal for being "courageous and strong," and I thought yoga would fit perfectly in with the theme.

Just look at my strong little warriors:

Thanks to Amy and the YMCA for sharing yoga with us!

Pigs in a Blanket

2012-01-16T11:47:00.003-06:00

The pizza dough recipe I posted the other day works great in these pigs in a blanket. Just look at these bad boys:

A few notes about the recipe: you only need to make about half of the baking soda water ( 4 cups is way too much). You also need to only make a portion of the mustard sauce. Enjoy!!

Happy Birthday, Brody!

2012-01-15T09:11:00.004-06:00

My littlest boy is 9 years old (well, today he's 9 years and 1 day old). Birthday #9 looked a lot like birthday #8: supper at Cici's with kids from school who then came back to our house for a sleepover. Brody didn't care; he was in little boy heaven.

Here they are chowing down at the pizza buffet:

Brody chose ice cream cake again this year, although I'm not sure why. I don't think he really likes it that much. Next year I may encourage him to go with traditional cake. I was quite impressed with Dairy Queen's retro Star Wars edible image; you can't go wrong with Darth Vader.

One of the boys (the one giving the horns) had terrible ass gas as noted by A and his need to cover his nose during photo time:

Colby and the girls were asleep before 10pm, but the birthday boys and I were up until midnight. Fun was had by all, and no one got hurt. That, my friends, is a successful boy's birthday party.

Girl Scout Cookies on Sale Now

2012-01-14T08:54:00.003-06:00

This is my first year as a Girl Scout/GS Troop Leader. So far, so good. Of course, the highlight of the Girl Scouts for many is the annual cookies sales, which for us began yesterday. I found a great article about the history of GS cookies.

For a troop like mine, selling cookies will be our lifeline. We are like a political campaign in desperate need of funding. I have an amazing troop of girls, but we don't really have the money to participate in many activities. We are constantly trying to find free things to do. I've spent a bit of my own money buying crafts and such. We've spent a big chunk of money sending food and treats to a soldier overseas. We do our best with limited funds, but it would be nice to have a little more money to spend on cool field trips and an end of the year troop activity (like camp or something).

I will point out that unlike Boy Scouts, the Girl Scouts organization on a national level accepts ALL girls - even ones who are gay and even a transgendered boy. Said acceptance of a transgendered boy has caused a great deal of controversy and even a cookie boycott movement. I would never attach my name to an organization that I felt had a philosophy of exclusion, and I encourage everyone to buy Girl Scout cookies this year. If you want to help out but don't want all those cookies in your house, give a Gift of Sharing. This means that you purchase a box of cookies that is then donated to the charity chosen by the troop (often a food pantry or shelter or overseas military). The troop gets the money, but you don't get a fat ass. It's a win-win.

Whether it's Peanut Butter Patties or Shortbreads, no matter which cookie is your favorite you can be confident that purchasing Girl Scout cookies will make your life a little sweeter - and help out girls in your community.

Corporate Bread Experiment Part 2

2012-01-08T13:32:00.002-06:00

A few weeks ago I bitched a little bit about how much work it is to make most foods from scratch. My new motto, "If I CAN make it myself then I SHOULD make it myself" has been difficult to live up to in some respect - particularly not purchasing "corporate" bread. Lucky for my sanity, I've found two yeast bread recipes that will make my life a little bit easier.

I've found a great hoagie bun recipe that is both easy and versatile courtesy of Taste of Home. You can find it here, and I suggest that if you ever get the urge to make some buns then try these. I've used them toasted for french dip sandwiches and used them for regular sandwich rolls. Mmmmm!

I've also found an easy, healthy, and ample recipe for an all-purpose wheat bread for everyday use. It made great egg-in-a-basket, sandwiches, french toast, grilled cheese, and toast. I found it here on Allrecipes. It makes three loaves (which lasts about 3 days here), and I froze one to see how it turned out after being thawed - it was great.

Pizza dough from scratch is really easy and delicious. Here's a nice recipe for a basic pizza dough, but I've made a few changes. I add almost a teaspoon each more sugar (or honey) and sea salt. I also use olive oil instead of vegetable oil. I've added herbs and garlic to the crust, as well, and it's really good. I guess if I give you a crust recipe I should provide a homemade pizza sauce recipe. I don't use the canned tomato sauce called for in the recipe because I still have tomatoes from our garden frozen in the deep freezer.

I hope maybe you'll find the time to try some yeast breads in your kitchens. Maybe you won't make them every day like I do, but that's only because you're not a sucker for punishment.

Take Me to Your Leader

2012-01-07T12:11:00.002-06:00

Inspired by a New Year's Eve conversation with a friend, I've been thinking a lot about what it would be like to be a Republican voter right now. During said conversation, I asked my friend who she was planning on voting for in the next election. Her response was such a non-answer that she could probably run for office herself if she has more non-answers like this: "I didn't vote for Barack Obama the first time, and I'm not voting for him this time."

So, she doesn't know who she IS going to vote for, but she does know who she ISN'T going to vote for. Not resigned to take such an apathetic answer, I asked her husband who Republicans should vote for if they are dissatisfied with Obama. I was somewhat surprised when he answered, "Rick Perry." Oh snap!! I quickly changed the subject to avoid ruining the happy New Year's buzz I had thanks to chardonnay and mimosas.

As I recall from the 2008 election season, I didn't know who I wanted vote for: Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama. But my indecision was based on having two GOOD choices not five bad choices. The Republicans have spent the last year or so looking for a leader. It seems that most will settle and vote for Mitt Romney if he is the GOP nominee. However, Mr. 25% is certainly not a leader. He doesn't inspire. He doesn't resonate. He's flippy-floppy. He bears the John Kerry-esque stench of money that the common man finds hard to handle.

I want the Republicans to have a leader if only for the sake of my own political discussions among my friends. I want Republicans to have someone to keep them warm at night instead of just a warm body, you know? If they can't give me that then I will continue to have uncomfortable Rick Perry moments with my friends. And I don't like that one bit.

New Year's Eve 2011

2012-01-03T11:51:00.006-06:00

I'm pretty sure last year was the first year we had ever been out for New Year's Eve. It's obviously difficult to go out often when you are pregnant, nursing, or the parents of 4 children. However, now that the kids are all out of diapers and off the boob and mostly able to use the bathroom all by themselves, people are much more willing to watch them. Each new year the kids are a year older and a little easier to handle. Thank goodness.

This year we went out for a repeat performance with our friends D and L. Before we left we had to do our customary self portrait photo:

This year we ate sushi instead of Green Gateau. I'm pretty sure Kinja's Sex and the City rolls are my final meal when I get on death row. Amazing. With our bellies full, we headed to Starbucks for coffee.

Then we, of course, headed out for a few drinks at a martini bar. One of our favorite bars in town, Cliff's, caters to a little more mature crowd. We weren't worried about being surrounded by drunk 21-year-olds when we found a seat near the back of the bar. We were, instead, surrounded by drunk 25 to 50-year-olds.

Our friends went home early, but Colby and I were going to take full advantage of being kid-free. We decided to ring in the New Year in downtown Lincoln with the drunk college-aged crowd. What a sight to be seen. You have no idea how many times I said, "Oh my god, that's someone's daughter." Or maybe, "Did she dress for a date rape?" Or how about, "Jesus christ I am getting old." And, of course, the always popular, "Just because they make it in your size doesn't mean you should wear it."

Lucky for us we found a seat at Jake's Cigar bar with the more hipster, mature crowd. We actually met a really nice couple to spend the remaining hours of our night out. They were in their mid twenties, the parents of a little girl, who hadn't been out to a bar since 2008. He was a Iraq war veteran on disability who worked part time at a bicycle repair shop. She was getting ready to start a new job at Applebee's. Over all, we had a lot in common despite our differences, and they were nice enough to take a photo of us on their camera phone when Colby's malfunctioned. Sadly, the photo never arrived in my e-mail inbox despite the fact that I thought we entered the address correctly in the phone. That's what I get for trying to send an e-mail while drunk. Sigh.

After our midnight kiss and a little more visiting with our new friends, we headed to the truck stop near our house for breakfast a "breakfast" of chicken fried steak, cherry pie, and fried cheese.

We got to bed around 2:30 am, which is the latest we've been up (not including being up with a baby/puking kid/kid with croup). It was a great night to say good-bye to 2011 and ring in 2012.

Happy New Year!

Happy Hanukkah!

2012-01-01T13:02:00.002-06:00

Ever since we spent an evening at a Girl Scout meeting talking about different ways people celebrate December holidays, Evelyn has been enthralled with Hanukkah. She wants a menorah so badly, so I suppose I'll scope out holiday clearance to find one.

In the meantime, I bought her some Hanukkah stickers, and she's had a great time making pictures. Even if those pictures include a Christmas tree.

Merry Christmas 2011!!

2011-12-27T12:20:00.001-06:00

'Tis the season to be jolly, and the Vescapades family spent plenty of time doing just that! It was so difficult for us to Christmas shop this season because the kids already have everything!! What do you get for the kids who have it all?

My mom and step-dad got Evelyn a bee bee gun. You can tell by the look on her face that she was thrilled:

Dade got a Kindle from my mom, and he's been using it pretty much constantly ever since:

Soren got the T-Rex pillow pet she'd been "wishing for!!!" from my dad and step-mom:

She named him Tigris.

We got Brody a badass sweatshirt:

We spent Christmas with my mom's side of the family at her house in Norfolk. They just built a brand new shed that's bigger than my house, and it did a pretty good job of containing all the Vescapades energy and hijinks.

Christmas Eve was spent with Colby's parents, as usual. Missing from this year's celebration was Jacob, who is off in Afghanistan serving in the Marines. We indulged in all of the best foods holiday gatherings have to offer. We tortured the kids with taking a million photos before we let them open presents. It was, besides Jake's absence, a pretty typical Christmas Eve. I even made kolaches, which haven't made an appearance at a Vesely Christmas is quite awhile.

Dade was, as usual, happy to get candy as a gift. He's really quite easy to please.

My little nephew let me hold him for about 5 seconds. He greatly prefers Uncle Colby.

Colby's grandmother made quilts for all of the kids, but only the girls were willing to take a decent photo:

The day after Christmas was spent with my dad and step-mom in Seward. Can you imagine how full my dad's house will be once my brothers and sisters start having kids?? Plus, my kids may have kids at the same time as my brothers and sisters, so it'll be a really full house. Santa better get ready.

We definitely feel blessed every year as we make the rounds to each family's house for Christmas. We always come home with a van full of toys and goodies and sleepy kids. And occasionally a dog who tries to snuggle up on a car seat with a kid or two.

My New Tattoo

2011-12-21T17:25:00.003-06:00

So, that's my new tattoo. It's on the arch of my left foot, and it's pretty small. The symbol is an Om (pronounced aum), which is an important mantra in yoga. The Om symbolizes a unity of ourselves and everything that is. So, it symbolizes our connection to the universe. The Om represents respecting our past, finding joy in the present, accepting what happens in the future, and recognizing the part of us that transcends time.

Why did I put the Om on my foot? In yoga, your feet are your ground, your strength. If I feel like I am struggling in my yoga practice, I have a reminder that I am strong and grounded, that I can meet a challenge or accept my shortcoming. Yoga is about accepting your body for its strengths and weaknesses, challenging yourself in both mind and body, and finding joy not in "things" but in life itself. It's a pretty powerful symbol, and I hope I can live up to it's meaning.

Goodies

2011-12-20T17:18:00.003-06:00

Every year I make candies and cookies for our friends and neighbors. Our neighbors across the street also earned themselves a bottle of wine for being so awesome. This year our treat boxes included Rolo Turtles, glazed lemon cookies, peanut butter chocolate chip cookies, thin mints, candy coated pretzels, and cranberry oatmeal bars. I even saved some high-quality take out containers that held the goodies perfectly!

Nothing says "Happy Holidays!" like eating lots of homemade junk food. If you gain 5lbs during the holidays it's probably because people like you enough to give you goodies. And for that 5 lbs is a small price to pay.

Runzas

2011-12-19T17:07:00.001-06:00

One of my favorite local restaurant chains is Runza. I know. Who would want to eat something with the word "runs" in it?? It sounds unappealing.

Runza actually started here in Lincoln, and we have made a commitment to eat at either local businesses or locally-founded chain restarants. However, going out to eat with a family of six is expensive. So, I decided to try to make runzas at home. It was a huge SUCCESS!! They were, I think, even better than the runza sandwiches at the Runza restaurant. Here's the link to the recipe: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/runza-meat-pies/detail.aspx. I added an extra teaspoon of salt, about a teaspoon of garlic, and some shredded cheddar cheese. Yum!!

Two of the kids loved them and ate more than I did:

Dade ate about half of one, and Soren wouldn't even try it. She would've liked it had she tried it. Oh well.

I'll definitely be making these again.

A Few of My Favorite Things

2011-12-18T17:01:00.003-06:00

There's a Christmas Song about a few of one's favorite things. Years of working retail have pretty much spoiled my enjoyment of Christmas songs; you can only hear Little Drummer Boy over the store's intercom so many times before you want to kill yourself. However, in the spirit of the song here are a few of my most recent favorite things:

I found this sign at Gordman's, and it fits our house perfectly:

We've even found our own dogs' hair in our food at restaurants. It's pretty amazing.

My other favorite thing today is the lighting project Colby added to our deck trellis. It was really pretty in the summer, but turning the lights on at night when there's snow everywhere is sooooo cool!

These are a few of my favorite things!

This Week in Silly Soren

2011-12-17T13:50:00.003-06:00

Soren had some very interesting things to say recently. She told me that she didn't want to grow up. When I told her that everyone has to grow up, she said, "But I don't want to have children." I told her she doesn't have to. "I don't want to get married, either." That's fine with Mommy, sweetheart. "Oh. Alright."

A few days later, she brought up the subject again. "Mom, I decided I'll have a baby." Okay, that would make mommy very happy because I would be a grandma. "But I'll only have a baby if it's a trained baby." Trained to do what exactly? "Only if it's trained not to poop in its pants." Well Honey, all babies poop their pants. "Then I don't want one." And I don't blame you.

Yesterday morning as we cuddled in the recliner before all the other kids got up, Soren said, "Tarter sauce!!" (Side note: for those of you who don't know, that's the swear word used on Spongebob). What's up, Boobie?? "I forgot to tell you yesterday that I wanted smokies for lunch." That girl does love her smokies.

She also asked me what "the shits" are. I told her diarrhea, and she laughed (but not until after I had already laughed because she asked me about the shits).

She told me I'm not the boss of anyone that works at a restaurant. Fair enough.

I can't wait to hear what she come sup with next.

The Corporate Bread Experiment

2011-12-16T13:40:00.000-06:00

I'm not sure why it is, but it seems like being a stay at home mom has made me seek out new and exciting ways to torture myself. I stopped cooking food that comes out of a box including the chicken nuggets and frozen pizzas that were once a family staple. I started making my own laundry soap, greeting cars, and cleaners. I took up yoga. I decided to be a Girl Scout troop leader. Perhaps the worst idea I've had yet is to stop buying "corporate" bread - bread made in a factory somewhere and then sent to the grocery store for sale.

Baking bread, I've found, is extremely time consuming. Maybe it isn't the bread that takes up so much time, but I guess once it's piled on with all the lunch box goodies and snacks I have to make from scratch every week my kitchen becomes a factory of its own. Like any mom, I want what's best for my family. The kids love the fresh foods that come from our kitchen. Brody, yes Brody, told me last night that I am the best cook - even better than those cooks on tv. (Side note: he was probably making up for the huge pile of trouble he'd accumulated earlier in the evening.)

I think sometimes that what's best for my family might be me spending a little more time with them rather than so much time in the kitchen. That said, I'd better get to work. I'm making Runzas for supper. Sigh.

Advent Calendars

2011-12-09T14:17:00.004-06:00

While on one of my regular shopping trips to Trader Joe's, I noticed they had Christmas Countdown (aka Advent) calendars for a mere 99 cents. Thinking this would be a great way to prevent the kids from asking me every single day how many more days until Christmas, I snagged four of the least religious looking ones and added them to my mountainous cart of goodies. Yes, people, my grocery bill is sometimes more than my mortgage payment. That's what happens when you don't buy Banquet Meals, Hamburger Helper, and Kraft Macaroni and Cheese.

But I digress...

December 1st arrives, and I bust out the Advent calendars. The kids were so excited that I was going to let them have a chocolate every morning for a month! Hooray! You're the best mom ever! We love you, Mama!

Hold on a minute. No one gets to eat his/her chocolate for the day until everyone, yes EVERYONE, is ready to leave for school. (Cue sighs)

However, the sighs quickly turned into action. From December 1st until now my children have been fabulous at getting ready for the day. I haven't had to fight anyone to get dressed or get on shoes. Everyone eats his or her breakfast. Brody even combs his hair without a peep. All of this thanks to a little piece of chocolate every morning.

Now, I know that Christmas and Advent are for many about celebrating the birth of little baby Jesus. I know that the story says angels sang and wise men brought gifts. I know it's said that the birth of a savior signaled the end of certain eternal damnation for sinners.

However, not even the gift of eternal salvation is better than the gift of three kids getting ready each morning without a fuss. This wise lady is very glad she bought the kids the gift of an Advent calendar so that they all sing like angels when it's time to get dressed, "Okayyy Mommmm!" Forget about Advent celebrating the upcoming birth of a savior. From now until Christmas it's about celebrating those glorious little chocolates and their magic ability to get kids going in the morning.

Advent chocolates in the hands of an agnostic feminist: making eternal damnation a whole lot sweeter one day at a time.

Happy Birthday Reese!

2011-12-04T14:03:00.005-06:00

In celebration of my bestie's baby's birthday, she invited Soren and I to meet her and her daughter at Paint Yourself Silly for a night of girly fun. Never ones to say no to a little paint and ice cream, we headed into the heart of downtown Lincoln on a Friday night and began the search for a parking space. Lucky for us we got one only steps from where we needed to be, and so did Sara. The night was already off to a great start.

We all picked out something to paint and chose our 6 paint colors. Of course, my baby picked out a dinosaur. The birthday girl chose a pig. We got right to work painting after we took a few photos.

By the end of our hour, Soren's dino was so covered in paint that it was dripping (as is her usual treatment of her PYS projects).

All that painting had made the four of us quite hungry, so it's a good thing Ivanna Cone is right next door.

After ice cream we played around next door at the book store before deciding it was past our bedtime and time to go home. On our way out we were lucky enough to get a free sleigh ride through downtown. The night was brisk but not too chilly for a ride in a one-horse open sleigh - Hey! Actually, it was a two-horse sleigh, but who cares?

By the end of the ride we were all officially painted silly, full, cold, and happy. What a gift Reese has been to my friend and her husband. Happy Birthday to one of the sweetest angels on earth!

A Little Taste of Jersey

2011-12-02T13:53:00.001-06:00

Back in June when we went to visit the Sassafras house in New Jersey, our hostess introduced us to some delicious rolls called Portuguese sweet bread. Since I recently discovred that I can bake yeast breads, I purchased a little booklet from my favorite local book store. It's called Basic Bread Baking, and it's just one in a series of Stoney Country Wisdom Bulletins. Some other booklets in the series? Homebrewing, Home Repair, Backyard Chicken Coop, and Herb Gardens. You get the idea, right?

As I was thumbing through the booklet, I saw a recipe for Portuguese Sweet Bread! I was thrilled and decided to try it out. So, I followed the directions, but my rolls just wouldn't raise. I waited and waited. I tried all the tricks I knew to get dough to rise. Sadly, and defeated, I baked the rolls. They were like little hockey pucks, but they were freakin' delicious! Brody said they were the best rolls ever.

Later as I was on the phone with my step mom, she said, "The barometer's all wacky because a storm is coming in tomorrow. That's why your bread didn't rise well." I had no idea, and I felt greatly redeemed and uplifted (my spirits had risen, so to speak).

So, Vescapades readers, next time you plan to bake bread or rolls be sure to check the barometer.

It's Beginning to Look a Little Like Christmas

2011-11-29T15:56:00.008-06:00

Holiday Song channel set up on Pandora Radio? Check. Christmas presents purchased and (mostly) wrapped? Check. Blustery wind blowing snowflakes around the sky? Not so much. But, hey, you can't have it all.

Per annual tradition, Colby put up the Christmas tree the day after Thanksgiving. One of my favorite parts of the holiday season is watching the kids decorate the tree. Each year they get better at it; Soren gets tall enough to put ornaments just a little bit higher. We downsized our tree last year in exchange for a smaller, pre-lit model. As I pulled each ornament out of the tote and unwrapped it, memories flooded back. Oh, look! It's the Our First Christmas Together 1998 ornament. The kids all have My First Christmas ornaments, and in a family like mine those can take up a lot of room on a little tree.

We have lots of fishing ornaments for Dade:

There are lots of Star Wars ornaments for Brody and a Schoolhouse Rock "I'm Just a Bill" ornament for me:

Here's Colby's new gnome:

And our little snow people family:

And, of course, the little wooden hearts purchased in memory of the little snowflake that never made it to become a snow-Vesely (but we still think of you every Christmas):

It's magical what a Christmas tree can do to make your spirits soar and to make the tears flow. Here's to kicking off the holiday season with hearts full of joy, compassion, and gratitude for all of our blessings. May we not only be mindful of what we have but also of what we've lost and what is still to come. Happy Holidays!

Thanksgiving at the Beach

2011-11-25T17:49:00.001-06:00

No, that's not a misprint. We spent this Thanksgiving at my aunt's house, and she just happens to live on a man-made lake near Omaha (her neighborhood is called Hawaiian Acres - really). Despite the fact that we are well into November, the weather was a fabulous 65 degrees or more. Seriously, what more can one be thankful for than beautiful weather and waterfront property?

For the occasion, I prepared about a million kolaches: apricot, cherry, cheesecake, and pecan. They went over very well, especially with Dade (aka Bottomless Pit). Colby even said, "This is how a kolache should taste. Is this my grandma's recipe?" Yes, Dear, it was. My sisters even snagged some to take home for later. I told them I'd give them baking lessons soon!

Back to the beach....

Brody and Evie put their feet in the water:

We took a family photo on the beach:

Colby and I pretended to honeymoon in Hawaii:

I took some funny photos with my brother and sisters:

And I made sure to take some photos of the kids:

If a beach Thanksgiving in Nebraska doesn't sound strange enough, how about a Thanksgiving celebration with a pinata? I know the Pilgrims would be proud.

No cars/kids/scrotums were harmed during this event. That's also something for which we were thankful.

Evacuation Day

2011-11-21T14:20:00.003-06:00

So, who out there has heard of Evacuation Day (besides you, Sassafras Mama)? I hadn't either. I didn't even learn about it in school despite it's seeming great importance in American history.

What I know about Evacuation Day I learned from The Daily Show. Apparently, the British kept American POWs in floating prisons on ships during the Revolutionary War. Conditions were terrible, and thousands of soldiers died on these boats. Evacuation Day marks the day that George Washington finally kicked all the British out of New York. Why shouldn't we celebrate it (although technically the actual event happened in March)?

For once my viewing of satirical news shows taught me something: instead of celebrating "some Mayflower-cruising Jesus freaks" on Thanksgiving, maybe we should be honoring the thousands of lives lost in those floating prisons. As long as it means I can eat all the green bean casserole and apple pie that I want, I'm down for whatever.

So, here's to a new tradition: from now on the Vescapades family will not only celebrate Thanksgiving on the last Thursday in November. We will also celebrate Evacuation Day (as long as I can have an extra piece of pie to celebrate).

Saturday Night Out

2011-11-20T14:10:00.003-06:00

Thanks to my helpful "little" brother (he's 17 and probably 6 feet 2), Colby and I got to go out with our friends on Friday night. We even got my bro to take a quick photo:

Soren was happy to have her uncle babysit because she said that they could, "jump on him all night." Well, I don't think that happened, but Little Miss Captain America was ready:

We went to Lincoln's newest sushi bar, Dozo. The atmosphere is totally big city, but I've had better food at one of the other local sushi places. I guess you can't have it all. The good news is that it's located right around the corner from Ivanna Cone, so I got to go get a scoop of peanut brittle and a scoop of dutch chocolate. After three glasses of Elderflower and champagne (it smelled like a bouquet!), I was sufficiently lubricated enough to go to the cigar bar despite my sore throat. The men got to smoke their lungs out, and the ladies got to gossip. It all worked out in the end.

After having our fill of cigars and spirits, we headed out for a game of bowling. I bowled a 158, thank you very much, proving that champagne does not interfere with my ability to roll. Margaritas, yes. Lots of margaritas and I roll the ball backwards. But that's another story (see blog post about my birthday party this year).

We were home before midnight like the true old people that we are. Perhaps next time we'll actually make it to midnight. Or not.

Playdate

2011-11-15T14:01:00.004-06:00

After weeks of waiting, Soren finally had a play date with her friend, Reese. She was so very excited to finally have a friend to play with for the whole day!! My bestie Sara needed daycare for the day, and we are always happy to have Miss Reese spend the day with us. You may recall that Reese used to come to our house for daycare every day, so Soren is especially happy when Reese gets to come play for the day.

As a special treat, I took the girls to Lost in Fun, otherwise known as Lost in "Fun". I'm glad we went because the girls pretty much had the place to themselves. There was no chaos. I didn't have to worry that some kid would plow over poor little Reese. It actually was FUN for once!

Reese loved the ball pit, and she didn't even have to share it.

The usually jam-packed playground equipment was basically empty, and the girls enjoyed playing house all by themselves.

I sat outside the huge bounce house and kept an eye on the girls, and they were so thrilled to have the whole thing to themselves. They ran and climbed and jumped til they were sweaty. I just chilled.

I'd say this was the best trip to Lost in Fun ever. I'll definitely plan on taking the girls there again during the lunch hour to avoid the crowds. It's the only way to have Fun.

Visiting Palmer

2011-11-12T13:44:00.004-06:00

Our good friends the Hoss family recently made the move to the country. Yes, they've settled on a little farm so far populated by chickens, rabbits, fruit trees, and children. Really, what could be better?

Colby, the girls, and I made a trip to the farm while the boys headed to Verdigre to deer hunt. It was a perfect November day for traveling and for being outside. The Hoss homestead is overflowing with Midwestern charm: lots of trees, some barns, a grain bin, farm dogs and cats, and a cute house with a wood-burning heating system. Our friends have been working hard to upgrade a house that was pretty beat up when they moved in, and they've done a great job.

We were welcomed with homemade food and all the freedom afforded to having the run of a small farm. The kids held chicks and pet the rabbit. They raked leaves and chased each other around. It was so refreshing to see the girls doing something that I often did as a child on my grandparents' farm.

The best part was that they have a firing range set up to practice shooting. I now know that I'm a pretty good (or pretty lucky) shot. Seriously, I was shocked at my ability to hit a target. Now, could I shoot at something alive....doubt it. I'm seriously considering taking up shooting as a hobby.

We stayed til almost bedtime. Well, Colby had already determined in was his bedtime and fell asleep on the sofa.

The girls played so well together...

We had a lovely time visiting the Hoss farm, and we'll be back very soon! My own Pioneer Woman fantasies can now be fulfilled with a few visits with a good friend. I'll never give up living 15 minutes from a Target store, but I can still have a taste of true Midwestern small-farm life.

Back to Work

2011-11-11T10:43:00.007-06:00

Well, I'm not really going back to work, but I have been putting more time into helping with my friend's photography business. It's actually become like a real part time job. Right now I just get paid in pictures, but it's not a bad trade. Check out a portion of my latest "paycheck":

I can bring Soren to work with me, and it all works around my schedule. Amanda even lets Soren help sometimes, which Soren is letting go to her head. Check out the photo of us Soren posed during our photo shoot:

Go to this link to check out Amanda's photos. You might see a certain Vescablogger you know! Urban Photo will be a small business owned by and operated by three fabulous women. I figure I'm pretty much unemployable by everyone else, so I might as well work with one of my best friends, right?

Girl Scouts Update 2

2011-11-08T10:39:00.001-06:00

We had our first Girl Scout firld trip this week. We headed to Dietze Music, an instruments and instrument lessons store. One of our troop parents works there, and she showed us around. The girls got to play some instruments and listen to other instruments. It was a pretty nest field trip that I bet not a lot of other troops get to take. The girls will get a music patch for going.

Ya know, I think I'm pretty good at this Girl Scout thing. Hopefully, the girls think so, too!

The Most Wonderful TIme of the Year!

2011-11-07T10:34:00.004-06:00

We had our first Autumn snow last week. It was my favorite kind of snow, the kind that wasn't 2 feet deep on the driveway. The kind that looked so beautiful as it fell but melted when it hit the ground. The kind that required no shovel or extra caution while driving. The kind of snow that fell on still-blooming summer flowers. It was great!

And, of course, Mo Beans refused to come inside and instead huddled next to the house and shivered. That dog will sit out in the middle of a blizzard and refuse to come inside. I guess she's an outside dog.

Happy Halloween!!!

2011-11-01T10:12:00.008-05:00

This year Halloween was different. There were still jack-o-lanterns, candy, costumes, and fun. There was beautiful weather and lots of friends to help enjoy it. One thing was missing from trick-or-treating this year....Dade.

Now that he's 13, Dade has been kicked off the trick-or-treat train. I still snagged a whole bunch of candy for him out of the other kids' pile, but he didn't get to collect any of his own. He didn't mind, though. His favorite tv show is on Monday nights, and he was content to sit at home and watch it.

Like I said, some things remain the same. We still went to the Halloween even at the Shriner's Sesostris Shrine. Soren was freaked out, and I'm pretty sure Brody didn't come along with us because he was so freaked out last year. It is a little scary, but that's why it's fun!!

Of course, Colby made the kids' jack-o-lanterns to their specifications.

Dade carved his own this year. Yes, I gave him a knife. Shocking.

Our friends joined Colby and the kids as they trick-or-treated. I stayed home to hand out treats, as usual. It's my Halloween tradition to hand out treats and watch a scary movie.

Brody and his friends (Brody's in the gray and white camouflage with the green-tipped gun):

The girls:

One of the greatest blessings in humankind in the chance to make happy memories with your family. Halloween 2011 was definitely one of those memories to cherish!

Goodbye, My Friend

2011-10-30T14:52:00.001-05:00

Saturday was a sad day at the Vescapades house: we had to put our cat Tiger to sleep. He had been sick for a few days, and it turns out that his liver had failed. He either ate something poisonous, ate a mouse that had eaten poison, or had some kind of a tumor. We will never know for sure. However, I learned how much he meant to Colby and the kids despite the fact that Tiger hated everyone he ever met (besides Colby).

The kids were scared of Tiger; he bit them all the time for no apparent reason. He would cuddle up and purr in their faces, bite them on the cheek, and run away. My friend's son once said, "Dogs aren't mean, but cats are." Guess where he learned that? I often called Tiger "asshole" or "asscat". He terrorized the neighbors. He attacked the dishwasher repairman. I thought for sure his passing would be relatively painless for the kids. Colby was so upset, much more so than I thought he might be. He even said on the way out of the vet's office, "We're gonna have to get another cat." If Colby was upset, the kids were devastated. They all cried for the cat that hated them.

The girls wanted to draw him pictures. Evie looks visibly sad in her photo.

Soren wrote "I love Tiger" the best she could.

Tiger was cremated and will be spread over the garden of one of the vet techs. We'll miss you, Puss Puss. I know you're in cat heaven hissing at Cat Jesus and licking your booty in front of the tv. I'd expect nothing less from you.

Girl Scouts Update

2011-10-29T14:40:00.004-05:00

Our first year of Girl Scouts is off to a great start! I really enjoy thinking of projects, planning meetings, and meeting with the girls. I've got an awesome co-leader, and I couldn't do this without her.

My proudest achievement so far is the kaper chart I made. A kaper chart is the Girl Scout equivalent of a chore chart. It took me all afternoon, but it turned out great.

In October we celebrate the birthday of Girl Scout founder, Juliette Low. In honor of her spirit of giving back to the community, the girls all brought a few items from home including coats, gloves, hats, and warm blankets. Evelyn and I then donated them to our elementary school and the Family Resource Center.

Our next community service activity will be a drive to collect new socks and underwear for kids to be donated to the school and resource center. I was told they are in desperate need of these items, and Troop 20142 will help fill the need. Plus, the girls think it's really hilarious that they get to say underwear at our meetings. We'll let them plan a flier and gather the items for donations.

I'm really excited about sharing the spirit of sisterhood and community service with my troop. I hope the troop sticks together and keeps growing together as Girl Scouts!

This Week in Silly Soren

2011-10-27T17:10:00.002-05:00

Soren is always good for a funny line or two. This week was an especially good week for Soren Says.

At supper this week she told us this:

They have werewolf meat at daycare. They have lots of werewolf meat, and it's free.

Riiiiiggghhht.

Yesterday on the way to the YMCA she asked me this (in her best know-it-all voice):

Soren: Mom, do you know what sidewalk is made of? Little tiny rocks, sand, oil, and a little bit of sugar.

Me: No Soren. There isn't any sugar or oil in sidewalk, but there are little rocks.

Soren: Mom, I read it in my book. It said there's sugar. And do you know what makes the lines in the sidewalk? Chalk.

Make Me Proud

2011-10-26T17:26:00.002-05:00

This year Evelyn and I joined Girl Scouts together. I am her troop leader. So far we've only had two meetings, but we have so many plans for the year already!

"What?!" you might be asking yourself. "Nichole wouldn't let Brody join Boy Scouts, so why let Evelyn be a Girl Scout?"

Here's the thing: at the national level, the Boy Scouts do not allow kids who are gay or kids who won't espouse a religious belief be a part of a troop. Girl Scouts, however, allow all girls to join. Period. I think women have a greater understanding of what it is to be excluded, and Girl Scouts promotes with great fervor the ideas of sisterhood, inclusion, and community service. How can you serve a community when you exclude people from that community who are different than you? You can't.

I read this story today, and it hit home. Here's the story of a transgendered child who was at first denied membership into a troop because he's got boy parts but he's a girl in his mind. This troop leader didn't want to get in trouble for allowing a boy into the girls-only club. However, instead of Girl Scouts telling the child he can't join, Girl Scouts has actually welcomed him to join. Whether or not the child joins is his parents' decision, but I think Girl Scouts needs more scouts who are strong in the face of adversity.

Heck, we could all use a little strength in the face of adversity.

Stitches Update

2011-10-24T13:16:00.004-05:00

No, Sassafras Mama, you didn't miss the post about my stitches. I wasn't sure if it would make interesting blog material, but it turns out having stitches has turned into quite the learning experience.

It all started years and years ago with these wart-like growths on my scalp. I've had them for as long as I can remember, one right near my forehead in my hairline and one on the back of my head. I decided to finally have the one near my forehead removed because I kept combing it and burning it with the curling iron.

I stopped in at our neighborhood Urgent Care Center to have the thing removed. Soren came with me. While the doctor numbed my scalp, cut my head open, removed the thing, and stitched me back up (only three stitches), Soren watched intently and occasionally rubbed my leg. Soren goes everywhere with me, including dental visits and appointments with the midwife. I'm hoping she'll fall in love with one of these doctoring professions and become one. She wasn't grossed out or anything, which is more than I could say for myself.

The growth was sent to pathology, and it came back a s a benign intradermal melanocytic nevus with neurotization. In normal words, it was a cyst. The one on the back of my head is a little bigger and will require more stitches. I spent the few days before the pathology report came back believing that I had some rare form of hair cancer that would surely lead to sudden death. That turned out not to be true......this time. God I hate being a hypochondriac.

I spent a week with some kickass, Frankensteiny stitches, and I'm now left with a little shaved spot near my forehead. Thank goodness I have a ton of hair and can cover the bald spot pretty well. I wouldn't want to scare any small children or anything. Soon I'll be back to normal, and I'll wait to have the other cyst cut out after my sister-in-law's wedding next year (as to not scare any wedding guests).

Though I lost a little chunk of my scalp, I gained a newly discovered love of hats! I'm sure you'll be seeing more of me in them as the winter goes on.

So, I learned what those things on my scalp are. I learned that I love hats. Perhaps most importantly, I hope Soren learns to love the idea of being a doctor.

Kolache Lessons

2011-10-23T12:51:00.004-05:00

Kolache: a type of Czech pastry that holds a dollop of fruit rimmed by a puffy pillow of supple dough. Well, if you make them right the dough is supple, but I guess that's the point of taking a kolache class.

My husband's family is of Czech ancestry, and one of their favorite pastries is the kolache. While I'm not a huge fan of eating them, I've always wanted to learn how to make them. I saw that the local community college was offering a kolache baking class, so I quickly passed the information on to my sisters-in-law who also signed up for the class. Colby's grandmother is a family's kolache baker, but it's important that we pass the kolache tradition on to the next generation.

I have to point this out first: I had never, ever made a yeast dough. It has always seemed a little intimidating. However, I knew that with my sisters-in-law at my side I could give it a try.

I was surprised at how easy making yeast dough actually is. I don't know why I was so afraid of trying it all these years. See how pretty the dough is?

My dough rolling skills could use some work, but I'm sure I'll improve from batch to batch. Here are my finished pastries!

My first try must've been a good try because the kids devoured all the kolaches. Even I enjoyed eating the ones I filled with cream cheese. They were a little over baked, but the instructor was in command of the ovens. With 13 ladies in the class, she had a lot of pastries to bake, so I understand how some could get overcooked.

I suppose I'll have to make another batch for the next Vescapades family holiday! You ladies will, too, Amber and Carrie!!

Westboro Baptist Church Catches a Break

2011-10-20T15:28:00.002-05:00

Nebraska's Supreme Court has overturned a lower court's ruling that kept the Westboro Baptist "Church" farther away from funerals. The Court stated (here's a link if you want to read the whole story) keeping peaceful protesters hundreds of yards away from a funeral violates their 1st Amendment rights.

Here's the thing: the protests aren't peaceful. I witnessed a Westboro protest in Kansas City in September. Although the protesters did stand and hold their signs without hitting or punching or anything (and they let their kids hold signs that said stuff like "God Hates Fags"....like a kid understands what a fag is), I also know that they yelled things like, "You are a faggot, and you will burn in hell!" That isn't peaceful. Really, it's a hate crime, plain and simple.

Here's another thing: protesting a rock concert is one thing; protesting at the funeral of a dead person who can't defend himself/herself is another thing entirely. The beauty of free speech is that it is a two-way street: Mr. Phelps can hold his "God Hates Fags" signs, and I can stand beside him with a sign that says, "Fuck That Guy." Cool. But dead people can't do that, they can't defend themselves. It's not a two-way street anymore.

I love the 1st Amendment. It's fucking awesome. I use my free speech right every single day while I yell at my television during Rachel Maddow and while I drive around in my minivan with politically-themed bumper stickers attached. I love it!! That said, it hurts a little to know that those folks can stand near to a grieving widow and call her dead husband a fag. I'm lucky enough to know a few people here in Lincoln who will surely be at every single Westoboro funeral protest within a hundred miles. They will pull their motorcycles up alongside the protesters and rev the engines til the shouts of "Faggot!" are drowned out - so that mourners don't have to hear the vile words.

Happy Birthday Kort and Riley!

2011-10-19T19:45:00.004-05:00

Oh my goodness, it's another birthday post!! I'm telling you, this time of year is busy. I thought to myself, "I could either write a post about the Wall Street protests or a post about having fun at birthday parties." I'm sure you'll appreciate the party post.

I have to begin by saying the Friday before our busy birthday weekend, Soren was puking. Again. Thank goodness it lasted a very short time this time, but we have her scheduled to go to a gastrointerologist in January. The girl's had the pukes five or six times in the last 18 months. Not normal. Now, moving on....

Saturday morning we headed to Vala's Pumpkin Patch to my nephew's 1st birthday party. The kids have been looking forward all year to going back to the pumpkin patch, and the weather was perfect for a Fall frolic at Vala's. Really, we couldn't have asked for a more perfect day. My sister-in-law rented a campsite with a fire and a shed for shelter. It's become our new Fall tradition. Last year when we came, Kort was only a few days old. Now he's 1!

Here's Evelyn with the birthday boy, neither of whom would look at the camera:

We got some cute family photos, too:

Even old married folks like us still like to make out in public:

The kids loved riding on the pedal carts, and Colby and his brother Scott liked racing against the kids. They're pretty much just kids themselves.

While my sister-in-law and I took the girls in the "haunted" house (side note: my sons were too chicken), some idiot pulled the fire alarm. If we thought the haunted house was jinky in the dark, you really should have seen it with all the lights on. It was terrible.

Right after the pumpkin patch, we made the drive back to Lincoln for a swimming party for my friend's daughter, Riley. Colby got in the pool with the kids while I hung out on the sidelines and chatted. I still had stitches in my head, so I thought it best not to soak in pool water.

Here are the party kids ready for cake and presents:

We had a really great time at both parties. It's always great to be reminded of life's blessings, and we are definitely blessed.

Happy Birthday, Soren!

2011-10-08T19:17:00.006-05:00

As promised, my long series of birthday posts continues today in celebration of my baby's birthday. After many long discussions about what she'd like to have for her birthday party, Soren finally decided on a costume party (after we refused Chuck E. Cheese with great fervor).

Oh my gosh, was this a fun party!!!

Soren's costume of choice???? Captain America. Kick ass.

We decorated the garage just a little bit. Thank goodness it was nice enough (hot, even) to have the party in the garage. I baked three kinds of cupcakes: pumpkin, banana, and chocolate.

Here's our fun family portrait, all dressed up in costumes. I'm the Eskimo, Colby's a jester, Dade's Tiger Woods (side note: everyone said, "But Tiger Woods is Black!" Correction, people: he's White, Black, and Asian. Jeez.), Brody as Darth Vader, Evelyn the devil, and, of course, Captain America.

Soren had so many friends join her to celebrate:

Grandma wanted a photo of all her grandkids dressed up, and she got one!

We made some crafts, played spooky bingo, and even trick-or-treated. Although by the end of the party I was exhausted, it was one of the most fun kids' parties we've ever had. There were more than 20 kids here, and all of them were very well behaved (until Brody led a gang of boys down the block and around the corner freaking out one of the boys' moms). I'm looking forward to buying lots of great Halloween clearance goodies for next year's party. I know Colby's totally psyched. Or not.

Happy 34th Birthday, Colby!!!

2011-09-30T13:25:00.000-05:00

We have a lot of birthdays clustered around the end of September and the beginning of October in our family. That means lots of parties, presents, and restaurant-cooked meals.

Per family tradition, Colby picked a restaurant for his birthday supper, and he chose Shogun. It's one of those places where they cook the food right in front of you. Right off the bat our chef lit a puddle of oil aflame on the grill sending Brody running away from the table. Brody ran away from the table again before the onion ring volcano. I knew he was a chicken, but I didn't know his chicken ran so deep. The rest of us had a great time watching the show. I tried a new sushi roll, and I think it might be my new favorite. We won't be going back anytime soon because, unfortunately, it cost us nearly $130 with tip to eat. That's my electricity bill right there.

My hubby has one more year before he's closer to 40 than he is to 30; one more year in his early thirties before he's officially in his mid thirties. Now, if only I could convince him that he's not 17...

First Grade Field Trip

2011-09-29T13:13:00.003-05:00

For the first time ever, I tagged along on one of the kids' school field trip. Soren and I headed to the Pioneer's Park (Soren calls it "Chinese Park" because apparently pioneers and Chinese sound exactly the same. Whatever.) with three of the six classes of first graders. We've been to Pioneers Park many times, but it was still fun to hike through the trails with a guide. The kids were learning about habitats in school, and Pioneers Park is a great place to explore habitats.

I wanted a photo with Evelyn, but we had a little photo bomber join us.

I was really impressed with how well-behaved the 10 kids in our group were despite warnings from Evie's teacher that two of the boys in our group were troublemakers. I can't wait to go on lots more school trips!

Happy (gasp) 13th Birthday, Dade!

2011-09-25T12:57:00.004-05:00

I am officially the parent of a teenager. I'm treading waters unknown again, and Dade is, as he has always been, the test pilot on our flight of parenthood. Thankfully, he's a great kid who likes to read and keep to himself. His Science teacher told us he's one of the most compassionate and respectful kids she's ever met. Yep, that's Dade. Although, I was hoping that he'd break us in a little with all the teenage drama so we'd know what to expect with the next three kids. I don't think he's gonna be "that kid."

He's such an easy to please kid, and he was happy to invite his family to eat with him at Valentino's to celebrate his birthday. He was happy to get books and clothes (and a video game) for his birthday.

He requested a Nutter Butter Blizzard cake from Dairy Queen, but unfortunately the freezer at the DQ closest to us broke down and most of the cakes melted. They didn't have Nutter Butter, so he had to settle for Oreo ice cream cake. I don't think he was too disappointed. It was, after all, still ice cream cake.

Although Dad is already planning what he'll do with Dade's room when he moves out to go to college, Mom is wondering what happened to my sophomore year in college when Dade was born. Wow. Thirteen years flies by awfully fast.

To my boy who is turning into a man. To my boy who loves his baby sisters and brother like crazy. To my boy who runs down the block just to hold the neighbor lady's baby grandson because he loves babies soooooo much. To my boy who has his Mama's sense of humor and his Dad's feet (Side note: our new favorite joke - if you say "beer can" in a British accent it sounds like "bacon" in a Jamaican accent). To my boy who wanted nothing more than a bag of Pay Day candy bars as a birthday present.... Happy Birthday!!!

Zoo Crew

2011-09-24T12:42:00.004-05:00

We made (probably) our last trip to the Lincoln zoo for the season, and it was totally our best trip yet. My good friend J and her kids came to visit from Middle of Nowhere, NE. We haven't seen them in over a year, so the kids were really excited to see each other (and so were the moms).

Here are some snapshots from our reunion at the zoo:

L and Evelyn as a goat and alpaca.

I tried to take a photo of the kids in the eagle's nest, and another zoo visitor decided she wanted to be in our photo, too. Oh well. There's always room for a few more friends.

Soren and Evelyn with L in the dino egg. I can imagine that in a few years they won't all fit in there anymore.

The Butterfly Pavilion was closed for the season, but the kids still enjoyed the caterpillar.

Our last task for the day was enjoying the train. Colby rode with Brody and N, and I rode with Soren.

We are quite the happy little crew.

It Gets Better??

2011-09-21T11:23:00.004-05:00

I'm sure most of you have heard of the nationwide anti-bullying campaign called It Gets Better. It's focus is primarily on the bullying of gay/lesbian/bisexual/transgendered youth, but it's message isn't only important in the GLBT community. I just this morning read another report of a teenager who killed himself after relentless bullying by his peers because of his sexual orientation. This boy had sought counseling, and his parents spoke with school administrators about the problem. Nevertheless, the boy saw no light at the end of the tunnel. Can you blame him?

As much faith as I'd like to have in my fellow humans, my ability to find humanity is dwindling. Life in my little bubble of friends and family is really great. I'm sheltered from many of the world's troubles simply because of the people I choose to surround myself with and the people I've chosen to avoid. I can create my own little world, really. However, every time I think that maybe other people could be as content as I am, I read something like this. (Side note: maybe I should give up reading the news and watching tv). Unfortunately, bullying is an ages old problem, but I think America's current social and political climate is unbelievably dispassionate and actually makes bullying seem like the American way.

While so many of our nation's leaders are telling us that America stands strong because we have the freedom to make our own choices and choose our own destinies, our nation's people sink deeper into depression. It isn't just financial depression; it's mental and physical and spiritual. We look to our peers to hold us up, to support us, to encourage us, to love us. We expect our national leaders to exalt our people and promote our well being. Instead, our leaders point fingers at the less fortunate. It's okay to pick on people who don't have the political power to fight back. Isn't that what bullies do?

The only way to stop bullying is to stop the bullies. No matter what we do to intervene in our children's lives, no matter what kind of counseling they get, no matter how many times we tell them that we love them and that nothing is worth killing yourself or someone else - it isn't enough. It really and truly does take a village to raise a child because all the other people in your village influence your children in ways you might not even recognize. But what happens when your village is filled with insecurity and hate and fear and poverty?? Where do we find the compassion and love and humanity?

I really don't know the answer, and I wish I did. What I do know is that by modeling to your own children and your own family the qualities you admire and seek out, all those characteristics will blossom in your loved ones. I do know that the old saying that you make more friends with honey than with vinegar rings true. Know that it's okay, more than okay, to stand up to bullies (and you know that even as grown ups we see bullies all the time). If that means writing letters to Senators (which I've done with about 10% positive response), if that means voting, if that means voicing an opinion that you know is unpopular (says Little Miss Pro Choice, Gay-Loving, Feminazi Nebraskan), if that means writing a letter to the editor, if that means you piss off some people that you really thought you got along with - do it!

It's a great way for you to figure out who the idiots in your village are.

Chardonnay Cake

2011-09-19T13:14:00.003-05:00

I love to read cookbooks, and I when stumbled across this recipe I knew I had to try it. The book was made for single ladies who are trying to be cosmopolitan and fancy, but I guess it'll be fine if this Nebraska housewife uses it, too.

Cake:
2 sticks unsalted butter, melted and cooled
2 c. sugar (for reals)
4 large eggs, room temperature
3.5 oz box of regular or instant vanilla pudding (side note: I could only find a 3.4 oz box...)
1/2 c. Chardonnay
1 c. whole milk, warned in the microwave for 20-30 seconds
1 tsp. vanilla (I only use the real stuff, not imitation)
3 c. cake or all-purpose flour (I used cake)
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. baking powder

Glaze:
4 Tbl. unsalted butter
1 c. sugar
1/4 c. Chardonnay

Make the cake: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a bundt pan or 9x9 pan.

In a large bowl beat together all the ingredients butter through vanilla. In a separate bowl mix flour, salt, and baking powder. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients, and mix just until moistened. Do no overmix. (Side note: my two baking mantras are: do not overmix and do not overbake.)

Scrape batter into pan and bake @50 minutes. Here's where individuality comes into play. The bundt pan I own is as old as dirt and is a little smaller than a normal bundt pan, I think. As such, I filled the bundt pan 3/4 full and then had some extra batter for cupcakes. Since I had never made this cake before, I didn't know how it would bake, and I didn't want to overfill the bundt pan. I baked the cupcakes about 18 minutes and the bundt cake about 45 minutes.

Make the glaze: While the cake is baking, combine all glaze ingredients in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. WATCH OUT! Do not walk away from the glaze even if you have to wipe your child's poopy butt. It will foam up out of the pan. It will also help to use a "medium" sauce pan as called for in the recipe and not a "baby" saucepan which is all I had clean. Let the glaze simmer on low heat for about 10 minutes until it reduces by one fourth.

When the cake has finished baking, remove it from the oven and pierce it several times with a carving fork. Or a bamboo skewer. Or a toothpick. Whatever. I set my bundt pan on a plate because I figured glazing would get a little drippy. Immediately pour hot glaze onto the cake and let stand 15 minutes. I did not pour all the glaze on at this point.

If using a bundt pan, carefully turn cake out onto a plate. I dumped the rest of the glaze over the top. Mine even came out in one piece!!!

I haven't had a chance to eat a piece yet because I am waiting for it to cool. I can't wait!

Who Cares?

2011-09-15T15:30:00.003-05:00

I will admit that I did not watch in their entirety the potential Republican presidential candidates debate. I've seen large segments while viewing my favorite news talk shows, however, and what I've seen isn't encouraging.

First of all, Rick Perry and Michelle Bachmann each have only half a brain between them. They are dangerous, dangerously stupid. They spout lies and portray them as facts. They are seriously deluded. They prove that good looks can get you far even if you don't have a brain to fill that pretty little head.

What I find most disturbing, however, is the audiences at the debates. Here is a room full of normal, everyday Americans cheering the over 200 executions performed under Rick Perry's administration. No need to point out that many of them were probably innocent or might have family and friends that love them dearly despite their crimes.

Then there is another room filled with normal, everyday Americans shouting "YES!" when a commentator asks Rand Paul if we should just let the uninsured die. That's right: let the uninsured die because this is a free country in which you are able to freely choose whether or not to buy health insurance and if you don't then too bad. What is wrong with these people?

I know what's wrong...no one seems to care anymore. I don't mean that people are ambivalent to the plight of others; I mean they just don't care about other people anymore. Period.

It's easy not to care about someone you don't know or about someone whose troubles are not your own. It's easy to pretend that bad things only happen to "those people." It's easy to dismiss the suffering of others.

But it shouldn't be.

Root Canal, Bitches

2011-09-07T18:45:00.004-05:00

Well, I can cross "get a root canal" off my bucket list.

After suffering through a week of tooth pain, I headed to the endodontist for a root canal. Despite always hearing how terrible they are, it was actually not so bad. The most painful part?? The $900 cost of the procedure thanks to the fact that the only endodontist that could get me in before September 15th is not in our insurance PPO. So far this tooth has cost over $900, and I don't even have the crown on it yet. If ever there was a great time to swear, it's now: Fuck me. Insurance will probably reimburse me for $100, and my regular dentist (who IS in our PPO) can do the crown work. Looking at the bright side here, people.

So, without further ado, may I introduce my post-root canal smile in a photo taken right outside the endodontist's office:

Go ahead and laugh it up. Colby called me Sloth from Goonies (Hey you guuuuyyyyss!!!!). I thought I looked more like I had a stroke, but whatever.

I have to add that the endodontist made $900 for one hour of work. I'm in the wrong damn business. I'm signing Dade up for dental school.

Labor Day Weekend

2011-09-06T17:49:00.002-05:00

It's hard to fit all we did over Labor Day weekend on just one blog post, but I'll try. The post is long but totally worth the time. Hang in there with me.

First, we headed to Norfolk to watch the first Husker football game of the season. We stayed over at Colby's parents' house, and now that Colby's sister has moved out they have three spare bedrooms to hold all of us when we come to visit.

Sunday was packed with fun. We went to Verdigre which, for those of you who don't know, is where Colby's parents grew up and where his grandparents still live. We went to a family farm to ride four wheelers and hunt frogs. I took a few quick photos of the kids (all of Colby's parents' grand kids) before they headed off to play.

We all took turns giving the kids a ride on the four wheelers. Colby's brother and his family was with us, and Colby's sister was there, too. Her hubby-to-be is as we speak somewhere in Afghanistan fighting for our country as a U.S. Marine. More on that in a minute.

Here's the view of Verdigre from the top of the farmhouse's lane:

And here's my Soren in her favorite place ever: on front of the four wheeler with Daddy

Colby even took his Grandma for a ride:

Frogging is a family affair that requires lots of manly tools. There were three generations of Veselys out frog hunting using spears and fishing poles and pellet guns.

Lots of frogs were caught, and rural Nebraska is a picture of nature's beauty. It makes me proud to be a Nebraskan (not the frog hunting, the scenery).

Soren and I hanging out while the men, boys, and the boy on the edge of becoming a man hunt frogs:

Brody was particularly fond of shooting frogs with the bee bee gun.

Right after I took this photo Brody said, "Watch out, Grandpa. I'm a horrible shot." Fair warning given and heeded.

Soren took a photo of me with Colby's sister after we hiked to the top of a huge hill:

Now, back to my Marine brother in law to be stationed in Afghanistan, Jacob. It is my understanding that Jacob shoots an AR15 as his Marine weapon of choice. Guess what? I shoot one, too. I'm officially qualified to be a Marine, right? Well, maybe I should learn to burn my own turds and eat Spam before I commit to Uncle Sam.

Here's Colby giving me a lesson:

Here's Colby molesting me while I get ready to fire:

And here's me getting ready, aiming, and firing the biggest frickin' gun I've ever seen:

Now, back to the frogs. We went back to Norfolk with a cooler full of frogs. My father in law and brother in law cleaned them, and my mother in law did what any good wife does: fries up the day's kill.

Despite my toothache (see the next post) we had a great weekend!!

Camping

2011-09-02T17:45:00.001-05:00

The girls begged to camp all summer. Colby found the tent and set it up.

You get what you get and you don't make a fit.

They actually had a really nice weekend camping on their bedroom floor, thank goodness. Air conditioning. Running water. Plumbing. That's how I like to camp.

Is That What I Think It Is?

2011-09-01T17:37:00.002-05:00

Colby and I purchased some cute 1950s or 1960s dessert dishes at a garage sale years ago. They've been sitting in storage thanks to all our moves and the smaller and smaller house that came with each move. Finally, I decided we should get them out and use them.

What do you know? They are cooler than I thought. Anyone have the munchies?? Whoever painted these plates probably did.

Bridal Shower

2011-08-26T14:47:00.002-05:00

The girls and I attended a bridal shower last weekend in Norfolk. We got to see a lot of people we haven't seen in quite awhile which was quite nice. The girls had a lovely time running around with third cousins. I'm pretty sure the bride didn't even get to open any of her own presents; all the little girls were opening them for her.

Soren thought there were diamonds wrapped in just about every box. I don't know what kind of bridal shower she's expecting, but I think she may be disappointed when her time comes.

Here are a few photos from our luncheon:

Soren's Game

2011-08-25T14:42:00.000-05:00

While I was baking the muffins mentioned in the previous post, Soren hung out in the kitchen and played, well, I'm not sure what. She said she was a teacher but all those little papers were "money and debit cards." She cut up all the homework she worked on earlier in the day. Yes, I know those are dangerous grown-up scissors. I promise She still has all her fingers. Whatever she was playing, it kept her well occupied while I baked.

Corn Muffins

2011-08-24T17:34:00.001-05:00

I love cookbooks. I own a few, and I love to check them out from the library. My newest book is America's Hometown Recipe Book. It caught my eye because I always see recipes as a part of our culture and history, and what could be better than a cookbook with a collection of recipes from churches, fairs, and bake sales?

Side note: I love the butter crock (pictured in the background) we bought in Princeton, NJ. It keeps the butter soft and spreadable. And it totally matches my kitchen decor. Holla!

I had a go at Blackberry Corn Muffins. I love, love, love using cornmeal in desserts, so I was chomping at the bit to make these. Here are the ingredients:

1 c. all-purpose flour
1 c. cornmeal (I used yellow)
1/2 c. sugar
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 containers (6oz each) fat free yogurt
2 Tbl. unsalted butter, melted
1 c. fresh or frozen blackberries

As you can see from the ingredients list, these are actually pretty healthy as far as muffins go. When I prepared my batch, I ran into a few problems.

Problem #1: I didn't exactly have the yogurt called for in the recipe, so I used one carton of Greek yogurt with blueberries and some plain vanilla. I used the Greek yogurt cup to measure out 6oz. of the vanilla yogurt.

Problem #2: I had no frozen blackberries, so I used strawberries. Next time I'll either stick with blackberries or bluebaerries (which I had but didn't know I had because they were buried in the freezer).

They make a really pretty batter, though.

And when they were done baking, Evelyn came into the kitchen and said, "MMMMMMM, those muffins are so pretty!"

Disregard those mini donuts in the background. Pretend you never saw them.

I ate some muffins; they made a great accompaniment to my morning yogurt. I also froze the extras, but I haven't tried them yet to see how they held up. I'll take some out of the freezer right now.

Abundant Tomatoes

2011-08-20T17:26:00.002-05:00

Despite the fact that our garden was attacked by grasshoppers and beaten half to death in not one but two really bad storms, we are seeing a pretty steady harvest of tomatoes. This year we grew two heirloom varieties (brandywine black and pineapple) and one hybrid (sausage - it's basically a funny-shaped Roma). As such, I have been peeling and freezing lots of tomatoes.

Evelyn has become quite the little tomato peeler and squisher.

So far I've made BLTs, salsa, and pasta sauce. I've got my on a yummy bruschetta recipe, but I'm not sure I'll be able to convince the natives of its deliciousness. Maybe I'll just have to eat the whole batch myself.

Snow Globe Display

2011-08-19T17:36:00.003-05:00

I decided that my snow globe collection needed a better home, and when I decide something it usually happens. What can I say? I'm a woman of few needs, but when I do need something I need it NOW.

The collection's previous home was way up on top of the kitchen cabinets, and all they did up there was collect dust and grease. No one could really admire them, especially not a shortie like me. As such, I took the Target gift card so generously bestowed upon me by my brother in law and sister in law (for watching their son for a week) and purchased some cool red shelving units. Now my snow globes and my Grandma's coffee cups have a nice, stylish, easily admired home above the desk in the kitchen.

It's Fixed, Charlie Brown

2011-08-17T14:41:00.003-05:00

Years and years ago Colby got me a cute Charlie Brown snow globe. I have a little collection of snow globes, but I forgot to pick up a New Jersey globe while we were there. (Hint, hint, Sassafras Mama. I'll pay you back if you send one!)

Anyway, my Charlie Brown snow globe has been moved many, many times. I'm pretty sure it's made every single move with us from our very first apartment until now. Needless to say, it's taken some abuse. The Charlie Brown on the top broke off and had been broken off since at least St. Joseph. Today I fixed it with a little Liquid Nails.

Welcome back, Charlie Brown.

First Day of School 2011

2011-08-16T12:35:00.004-05:00

Oh my goodness, I am the parent of an 8th grader. Yep, it's true. My little tiny 7lb. 9 oz. baby is now 152 lbs. He has hair in all sorts of crazy places. His voice is deeper. His appetite is bigger. Good lord, when did this all happen?

Brody is in 3rd grade now. He's growing so fast, and so is his hair. I know what you're thinking: get that kid a haircut. He thinks he's Sampson or something; if we cut his hair he might lose all of his power. I dunno. I finally convinced him to let me trim his bangs, but the rest of the 'fro remained. No kidding, he gets a haircut maybe twice a year.

Eveyln is in 1st grade and has the same teacher Brody had for 1st grade. She wanted me to take about fifty photos of her in various poses. Imagine that: she's bossy. I have no idea where she gets it.

Brody refused to stand by Evelyn for a photo, so this was as close as I could get:

They headed to the swing set for a little before school exercise.

I don't know what they're taking about, but I imagine it goes like this:

Brody: Shut up, Evie.
Evie: You're a poopyhead, Brody. I'm not playing with you anymore.

Soren spent the morning on her floor bed made in the living room. She spent all of Monday puking, and she was still pretty tired by Tuesday morning.

We carried her puke bucket with us on the ride to school, and I didn't get to walk the kids up to the front door because of Soren's illness. It made me kind of sad, but all was well. Here's to a great 2011-2012 school year!

Hiking at Pioneers Park

2011-08-13T12:22:00.002-05:00

Lincoln is a great community filled with so many great things for families to do together. While many of those things are costly, Pioneers Park is something to be enjoyed for free. There is a playground, lakes filled with geese and ducks and turtles, and lots of trails along which to hike. The kids love to run around, and there are plenty of sticks out of which to make swords, canes, and magic wands.

I mistakenly thought that Colby wanted to take a photo with Brody at the park's pillars. Instead, he ended up pantsing the poor kid. No matter the trauma it might cause, I have to post the photo. It's just too funny not to.

Soren brought her camera, although I'm pretty sure she was too busy talking to take any photos. Colby always says that between her mouth and Brody's mouth we have to wear hip waders because the shit gets so deep.

As usual, Evelyn brought her model poses along to the park.

The boys had so much fun just playing with sticks. Who even needs toys? Dade had one of his trusty pocket knives along to carve off the ends or cut weeds or whatever.

After a little bit of hiking, the kids started to complain that they were so thirsty and tired and hungry. By a little bit I mean an hour. They couldn't go one hour without needing a freaking snack. As such, we packed up and headed to the little ice cream store nearby. Yum yum.

Zoo Trip (Again)

2011-08-10T12:07:00.003-05:00

We went back to the Children's Zoo, this time with Dade along. We didn't ride the train, but we did stop to eat lunch at the (overpriced) Safari Cafe. Fried food fun was had by all.

Soren had to have her zoo map handy at all times, of course. That girl and her maps...

Since Dade was along, I took a few group photos of the kids:

They all really love the butterfly pavilion, although Soren still won't hold the butterflies.

It was our final zoo trip as a group before school starts, although I'm sure Soren and I will be making a few more zoo trips before it closes in October. The Children's Zoo is one of our favorite things to do in Lincoln, and thanks to Grandma and Grandpa for the membership. It's a Christmas gift that gives back all summer.

Sushi During the Storm

2011-08-07T08:58:00.000-05:00

The kids were gone again this weekend which allowed us the opportunity to again venture over to Omaha with Colby's work friends. Here's a look at our day without the kids:

Wake up 8 am.
Eat a BLT for breakfast.
Get to Seven Seas Tattoo at noon to begin work on Colby's new octopus tattoo.
3:30 pm: leave tattoo shop and head home to change and clean up.
Friends arrive at 4:30 pm to drive us to supper.
6 pm: Arrive at Upstream Brewery for drinks
7 pm: Arrive at Baby Blue and drink jasmine tea. I'm not making the same mistake that I made the last time we all went out. Nope. No vodka drinks, wine, and sake for this girl.
7:30 pm: Colby eats his first piece of raw fish sushi and likes it. We all had spectacular food. The storm arrives. We are too busy chowing down and talking to much notice the storm.
Around 9:00 pm we left Baby Blue and saw this:

It wasn't raining anymore, but the lightning was amazing and the clouds were spectacular. Colby and I stopped outside the restaurant for a quick kissy photo:

10:00 pm: Arrive at a friend's house in Lincoln and receive a call from our neighbors: Mo has escaped the yard (probably because of the fierce storm). They would love to put her in the house, but since the power is out in the neighborhood they can't get the garage door open. We decide that they should put her in the kennel, where we found her when we got home.

We arrived home around midnight to no electricity. It came back on shortly after we brought the dog and cat inside, thank goodness. The garden was pretty trashed from the storm, but we are lucky that we were spared a lot of the damage that other neighborhoods suffered. We saw lots of large tree branches and entire chunks of trees down all over town.

1 am: go to bed.

We're pretty boring folks, even when the kids aren't here to keep us in line. Although, I will say that I'm very impressed with Colby for trying sushi. He's even been eating tomatoes. Dare I say my years of making him try new things is finally paying off?

Another Chuck E. Cheese Adventure

2011-08-06T08:37:00.000-05:00

Our semi annual trip to Chuck E Cheese occurred today. This time it wasn't for Soren's birthday; it was for Soren's bestie and his sister.

Taver and Lilac turned 5, and fun was had by all at the Chuck. It was smoking hot outside, so I was thankful at least for the air conditioning. I was less than thankful for the noise and the smell but wouldn't expect any less from Chuck.

Dade loved playing the games, of course, and Brody loved "shooting" with his friends.

Soren rode this horse about a hundred times, and she was happy to get tickets.

Evelyn had a great time helping the birthday girl open her presents and running around with the other kids.

Here's Soren with her bestie. Yep, it's not an illusion. He's a year older and a foot shorter. She's a beast.

I think one trip to the Chuck a year is sufficient. Let's hope Soren picks somewhere else to have her birthday party.

It's BLT Time

2011-08-05T08:52:00.000-05:00

The tomatoes have started to ripen with great haste despite the onslaught of grasshoppers. Seriously, people. The grasshoppers have taken over despite our attempts to curb them. The heirloom tomatoes appear to be defenseless against the little critters, so next year we will attack the bugs with even more moxy than we did this year.

I won't let the grasshoppers stop me from making all the BLT sandwiches I want. Thank god my husband has constant access to bacon.

Filling Up the Lunch Bags

2011-08-01T14:45:00.003-05:00

School is just around the corner. New shoes, underpants, and socks have been purchased. Lincoln Public Schools provide all the necessary school supplies, so that's nice. I bought new book bags last year when they were on clearance. We'll buy new jeans later on toward Autumn as to not have a repeat of last year when Dade grew out of all his jeans before he even wore them.

So, what's left? Planning to fill those lunch boxes.

Any parent knows that kids eat, and they eat a lot. Keeping bellies filled with food that is both tasty and of reasonable nutritional value can be difficult. No Lunchables. No Cheetos. No Pop Tarts. What's a mom left with? That's a good question.

The kids' lunch bags are usually filled with a rotation of sandwiches, homemade granola bars, fruit, veggies, and a few acceptable store bought goodies (baked chips, sweet potato chips, granola bars, fruit snacks). Brody usually eats the school's hot lunch, believe it or not, and finds few complaints with it. Dade would eat school lunch every day, but he spends $6 a day eating brownies and Gatorade and Cheetos from the ala carte menu. Not happening, dude.

In an effort to make lunch a little more interesting, I'm trying out a few new lunch bag friendly recipes. Today's effort is bacon and cheddar corn muffins. Dade said he would take them in his lunch. Evelyn ate two, but I'm not sure where she fit it all in. Soren and Brody didn't like them. Next time I'll use a better quality can of creamed corn, and I may consider adding more bacon (I only added 6 slices to the batter, and it make 18 muffins). They had a bit of bitterness that I think came from the off-brand corn, so I might add just a little more sugar. We all like sweet cornbread anyway.

I also made hummus today, and I know that's something Dade will take in his lunch. Problem is, when I send him an ice pack to keep stuff cool he loses it. Damn ADHD has cost me about $15 in ice packs (and about $15 in new lunch bags). There must be a deep pit somewhere with 4 or 5 lunch bags and ice packs belonging to my family because said family member has no other explanation as to the location of said bags. They are not, apparently, in the lost and found box at school which means they are casualties of an adolescent boy. Sigh.

If I can find something that 50% of the starving natives will eat, I'd call that a success.

Now, it's 3pm, and I have yet to take a shower. Off I go.

Happy Birthday Miss Evelyn!

2011-07-24T15:40:00.004-05:00

How fast six years has gone by. My oh my. It's hard to imagine how much Evelyn will change in the next six years (dear god, save us from puberty), but her first six have been filled with amazing discoveries and funny misadventures.

Per Vescapades tradition, the birthday kid always gets to pick where we go out to eat the day of said birthday. As usual, my high class child chose....Cici's Pizza, the largest pizza buffet around. Really, do they all have to choose Cici's?? My dad and stepmom and brothers and sisters met us there to celebrate.

Grandpa and Grandma with the birthday girl and Soren:

What a crazy cute bunch of girls!!

Here's Evie taking one of her many birthday calls from family:

For her party, Evelyn chose bowling. The kids had a great time bowling and eating and opening gifts. It was sort of a mini kindergarten reunion in some respects. The nice thing about living where we live (semi-secluded out in Air Park) is that there is a real sense that we are our own little community. We all play on the same t-ball teams, work out at the same gyms, etc. But I digress...

Back to bowling!

Evie invited Soren to her party, but not her brothers.

Evie and her cousin, Ethan, who is only 6 weeks older than she is:

Opening gifts:

Bowling like a maniac:

The party crew:

The grown ups got to bowl, too.

Love ya, Peapod! I can't wait to share the rest of my life with you (minus puberty, of course.).

Hot Summer Barbecues

2011-07-23T16:16:00.001-05:00

The great thing about summer is that we can get together with freinds and share lots of great times. The crappy thing about summer is that it's hot as hell when we get together with friends. No worries. The kids find lots of ways to stay cool, and water is the number one choice. Here are some photos from a recent barbecue at the Wild Wileys' house:

I have to point out that the little boy at the end of the line in the last photo is one day older than Evelyn...and about one foot shorter.

You know what's really hot about summer? Me in a bikini. I worked hard to get there. Here's me at one of my bestie's houses for a late night swim in her backyard pool:

That's how real women look in a bikini. Watch out Kim Kardashian. We real bitches are coming for you.

Painting Ourselves Silly

2011-07-20T16:04:00.003-05:00

One of the great things about Lincoln is all the stuff there is for families to do here. For a family as big as ours, going on any family outing involves a lot of preparation and a lot of money. That's just the way it is. It was a real treat for the kids to go to Paint Yourself Silly with friends. It's something we don't do often because it involves a) a shop full of breakable things and b) a crap ton of money. Dade decided painting ceramics wasn't for him, so he stayed home. The rest of us enjoyed an afternoon of ice cream and painting with friends.

What She Always Wanted

2011-07-19T15:32:00.002-05:00

As promised in a previous blog post, we now have our very own swing set. As Colby was putting it together (sidenote: lots and lots of swearing was involved. I mean, stuff was said that even made me blush.) Soren said, "All I ever wanted my whole life is a swing set." Talk about drama.

Well, I guess her lifelong wish has been granted.

Of course, we had to put it in the side yard for two reasons: putting it in the backyard would kill the precious grass, and there is far more shade in the side yard. Now, if it would just stop being 110 degrees outside, someone might want to swing.

My Little Brother

2011-07-18T14:35:00.003-05:00

I was an only child for most of my childhood. In fact, my brother wasn't born until I was 15. Three more sibling followed soon after. I was already off at college when my twin brother and sister were born. Although we didn't really get to grow up together, my kids are growing up with my brothers and sisters which is quite unique and interesting.

My brother Alex will be a senior in high school in the Fall. He's really the first baby that I've got to see grow from a newborn to an adult. He's got to watch me grow from a teenager into an old lady.

I was lucky enough to get to work with him as he had his traditional senior photos. My friend has her own photography business, and I often assist her with photo shoots. This shoot was particularly special for me. We're quite a good looking couple of siblings, if I do say so myself. Take a look:

Sometimes we don't get along:

But we always make up:

I look forward to watching Alex turn from a teenager into a grown up. He'll always have an awesome big sister by his side.

So the Kids are Gone And...

2011-07-14T08:07:00.002-05:00

...Life has been pretty good. The house stays clean. We get to go out whenever we want. I can swear all I want. I can go to the bathroom in private. It's great.

But there's no one here to sing me a song. There's no one here to tell me a story or "help" me with my chores. For all the fun we're having without the kids, we usually have a really good time with the kids around.

Someday I picture my life being like this every day. Once the kids are older we will have our independence back. Until then, I can't wait til the house is once again filled with the pitter patter of little feet. My life right now is meant to be filled with the noise and excitement and scuffling of my children.

See you in a few days, kiddos.

Swingers

2011-07-05T14:53:00.004-05:00

Soren loves to swing. I refused for a very long time to have a swing in our yard for two reasons: I didn't want to stand outside and push a kid on the swing all day (selfish mama), and I didn't want to break up fights about who gets to swing (I already have to break up fights about who gets to brush their damn teeth first. Can you tell it irritates me?) As such, Soren specifically asks to go over to our neighbors' house not to play with her bestie, but to swing on their swing set. Here she is all alone on the 4th of July swinging:

After watching her pathetically from across the street, I finally decided to get the girl her own swing. With Colby's blessing, we headed to Toys R Us yesterday to buy a small swing set for the front yard. We can't put it in the backyard because it will kill the precious grass. We'll instead put it up front with the weeds and the shade tree.

She can push herself now, anyway. I know she'll still be yelling, "Mom, come push me!" I also know that (thank god) she can swing herself. Hopefully, Daddy can get the swing set assembled tonight so that she can start swinging tomorrow. Now she can sit on her own swing and sing songs from Glee (her current favorite is Beth, originally done by Kiss) instead of swinging at the neighbors'.

I also have another photo I'd like to share of my little nugget. She's gotten into a bit of a Top Model phase, possibly a Lady Gaga phase. I don't know what it is, but it sure is cute when she wants to wear this to the store:

Fireworks, Fireworks, Fireworks

2011-07-04T13:25:00.005-05:00

With the boys in Norfolk at Grandma and Grandpa's, it was Colby and his girls left to celebrate Independence Day together. Lucky, lucky man.

Our first stop was my bestie Amanda's house for lunch and swimming. I brought my famous cookies, noodle salad, hummus with pita chips, and homemade apple crisp. I think I ate most of the apple crisp myself. (Side note: I wonder why I don't lose weight, and then I eat 3/4 of an apple crisp.) Yum Yum! We had a lovely afternoon despite the mosquitoes, and the girls are looking forward to swimming there again. It's nice to have a friend with a backyard pool; the girls see our visits there as a very special treat.

Our next stop was home to blow up even more fireworks. Evelyn loved lighting everything that she could.

Of course, you have to light it and then run!

You still have to bring the Top Model, even to light fireworks.

Soren hung out with us, but she didn't light anything. Of course, she had to wear the King Kong shirt we got her at the Empire State Building. If it's clean (and even if it isn't) she's wearing it.

Starting July 9th, all four of the kids will be at Grandma's for a week. That will be Colby's and my Independence Day. God bless Grandma, I mean, America!!

We spent the nighttime hours eating with our neighbors and then lighting tons more fireworks. Soren and her bestie Taver played in our backyard for quite awhile. They get in the sandbox, and it's hard to get them out. Tonight they enjoyed playing with some ice from our cooler, and Colby enjoyed shoving ice down the back of my shirt. Jackass.

Of course, we missed the boys, but they were off at Grandma's house blowing stuff up with Grandpa and fishing the days away.

Potluck and Fireworks

2011-07-03T13:13:00.003-05:00

We had so much to pack into our 4th of July weekend, but all of it turned out fantastic. We headed to Norfolk on Saturday to celebrate with Jake and Colby's family. The kids got to eat a lot, have soda, and blow up lots of fireworks. The girls' favorite part was playing in the pool with their cousins.

My favorite parts were a) all the compliments I got on the cupcakes, and 2) all the compliments I got on how good I'm looking. It's always great to know that hard work pays off on both the baking front and the exercise front. I really do appreciate all the kind words, and I will repay them with kind words in return. Karma is a wonderful thing!

We left Dade and Brody behind in Norfolk and headed back home with the girls. The girls get to go back to Grandma's soon, so no worries. Soren didn't cry in the van on the way home, and both girls had nice little snoozes while the soundtrack from Glee played over the radio. I'm quite sure Colby has had enough Glee to last him a lifetime.

I know the boys are having fun in Norfolk, but I'm sad they are gone (mainly because I have to do their chores while their gone). Woe is me.

Cupcakes for Jake

2011-07-02T12:56:00.000-05:00

I saw these super cute cupcakes on a website, and I just had to try making them for the potluck being thrown for my brother-in-law-to-be, Jacob. Jake is a Marine headed overseas for a loooooong tour of duty. When he comes home next year he and Colby's sister Carrie will have a wedding (in which I will be the matron of honor - Holla!). I think my kickass cupcakes may have just sealed the deal on the whole matron of honor thing, right?

The cupcakes are meant to look like food on the grill: hot dogs, corn on the cob, steaks, and kabobs. Of course, the ones on the website were perfect, but mine are as close to perfection as I can get. Colby helped me make all the little kabobs and hot dogs. I never knew my husband could be so talented at turning Hot Tamales into hot dogs! Way to go, Babe.

The second cakes I made were called Glazed Donut Muffins. While the cake itself was okay, the glaze was great. All you had to do was dip the cakes in the glaze and let it harden. I could even stack the cakes because, unlike frosting, the glaze didn't rub off all over anything it touched. I will definitely be using it again.

I'm very touched that Carrie chose me to be her matron of honor. Hopefully my homemaking ninja skills will be helpful as wedding planning continues.

Zoo Trip II (well, Zoo Trip I for the Two Oldest)

2011-06-28T17:13:00.007-05:00

I took the kids to the zoo for the first time this season. The weather was perfect, so I had no excuse not to go. I do apologize in advance for my appearance in the photos; we went to the zoo straight from yoga.

We started with a train ride around the outside of the zoo.

The butterfly Pavilion was open and active:

We got to finally see and identify Soren the penguin. He's the one with the orange band around his wing.

They had a blast climbing like the squirrel monkeys.

When we got to the reptile egg replicas Soren got all Tyra Banks on me. She said, "Take a picture of my poses, Mama." So I did.

The other kids got photos , as well, just not Top Model ones.

Although Brody did (in typical boy fashion) figure out a way to squeeze in a gun battle.

Garden Update III and New Deck Thingy

2011-06-26T16:57:00.005-05:00

Yes, I said deck thingy. It isn't a pergola. It isn't a canopy or a shade. It's a thingy. Deal with it.

Moving on, the garden is doing so well. We've already harvested tons of radishes, spinach, and some kohlrabi (my fave), and we even had a few peas already. The tomatoes and peppers are doing well after a tough battle against the rabbits. The squash and cucumbers are climbing. The gnomes are disappearing behind wildflowers. I can't wait for tomatoes.

Hey, Sassafras Mama, check out our clematis. It could kick your clematis' ass Jersey style (whatever that is, possibly involves kicking ass while wearing leopard print leggings). Colby is training it up to the kids' fort.

Colby, his dad and Dade worked hard building the deck thingy. So far it's serving its purpose of keeping much of the hot afternoon sun from cooking us while we try to enjoy the deck.

Sprayground

2011-06-25T16:48:00.005-05:00

The girls were invited to a birthday party at the Trago Park Sprayground. Yes, sprayground. We'd never been to the sprayground before, but it was pretty awesome. It's a park with picnic tables and climbing equipment plus a little water park with no deep water and thus no chance of drowning. Genius.

Here's Soren with the birthday girl.

Soren and her friend.

The girls had so much fun before we had to leave to head to t-ball.

If You Give A Mouse a Cookie, He Might Meet You at Barnes & Noble

2011-06-24T16:38:00.004-05:00

Barnes & Noble, though not my favorite bookstore at which to shop, has really great special guests at their story hour. June's guest was the Cookie Mouse.

Any parent reading this with a kid under age 13 has probably read If You Give a Mouse a Cookie or If You Take a Mouse to School and so on. I once took the kids to story time where author Laura Numeroff read her then brand new book If You Give a Cat a Cupcake. All my kids have loved and still love her stories.

Soren was excited to go see Cookie Mouse, but of course she wouldn't hug him or give him a high five. She was content to sit on the bench and admire him from afar. You can see her with the short blond hair and black shirt with colorful stripes. Cutest kid there, hands down.

Evie, on the other hand, was more than happy to give him a hug.

Fishing at Bowling Lake

2011-06-24T15:00:00.005-05:00

Nebraska is at present being blessed with the most beautiful summer weather. I know it won't last, so we loaded up and headed over to Bowling Lake, a little lake very near our house. Dade loves to fish, and he's also really good at helping the girls fish.

I thought it would be a great idea to wear my bikini top to try to rid my back of the tan lines from my tank tops. Well, needless to say I'm feeling the pain of sunburn today.

While Dade fished, the young ones played on the rocks and under the bridge and even let me take a few photos.

New Jersey - day 5

2011-06-20T11:26:00.008-05:00

The time has come for us to go. After 5 days of living it up at casa Sassafras we are set to make the trip back to reality. We were certainly ready to see the kids, but leaving NJ would be bittersweet.

We made some final stops at a few historical sites, standing in the very places George Washington and his troops stood while waging a fierce war against the British. You can stand there and imagine thousands of men in a blizzard with no shoes, no fires burning, cold water all around them, wondering what the hell they were doing here. Washington spent many anxious days and nights in NJ, but it was his innate ability to be cool under pressure that made him so powerful.

Here's me with our lovely hostess SM:

Here we are with the boy in the garden near GW's camp:

We walked across the bridge from Lambertville, NJ to New Hope, PA (I'm a little cloudy on the town names, but I think that's right). I know it was definitely Lambert-something because I kept thinking of singer Adam Lambert when we were walking through the town. Oddly enough, on our flight from Newark to Chicago I sat beside a guy from New Hope, PA. Small world. The view from the bridge was beautiful:

We stepped into PA just far enough to take some photos.

Goodbye, New Jersey. We'll be back soon. Save those underpants.

New Jersey - day 4 a/k/a Return to the City

2011-06-18T11:12:00.009-05:00

Well, to make a long story short we didn't get to go to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. We saw them from the shore and enjoyed a hot dog within eye shot, but the line was already way too long to wait to actually take a boat out to the islands. Oh well. We got to spend much of the day riding the subway which was pretty cool.

We did get to enjoy breakfast while waiting in Dunellen for our train.

Our first stop off the train was Ground Zero. Amazing, though I've used it about a hundred times to describe our trip thus far, just isn't the right word for Ground Zero. It's a heavy place to visit is what I would say. There is a huge hole still visible. The building replacing the Twin Towers is about half way to its full height. I could feel the weight, the emotion, the sadness, still at the site. Though New Yorkers are trying to rebuild and though vendors are peddling their goods right nearby, Ground Zero was still a place of great melancholy compared to the rest of the city.

This the the building being constructed at the site of the old Twin Towers. The sign said it is about half the height now that it will be when it's finished.

You can see that there is still a huge hole in the ground where the towers once stood. There is a lot of work to be done.

We walked to Wall Street where Colby posed with the bull, and we sneaked into a little church alcove to steal a kiss.

One of my favorite stops of our entire trip was the Top of the Rock - you might recognize the building from the Today Show or the show 30 Rock (one of our faves). The view from 30 Rock was, here it comes.....AMAZING! It was better than the view from the Empire State Building because from 30 Rock you could see everything, including the Empire State Building. Fucking awesome.

That's the view of Central Park:

Anyone who watches the Today Show will probably recognize these photos:

We also stopped at the Museum of Natural History. Dinosaur bones, taxidermy, a planetarium - the kids would've loved it.

This is the planetarium. It actually looks like a planet from the outside.

I found this sign very amusing.

We had lunch in the museum. Can you guess who ate the pretzels and beer and who ate the sandwich with pesto, tomato and fresh mozzarella with a carton of skim milk? We shared the candy bar.

Colby made some new friends at Toys R Us:

We packed a lot into two days in the city. Next time we'll plan to spend three or four days in NYC so we can do more shopping and take more time in the museums.

New Jersey - day 3... NYC

2011-06-17T07:37:00.011-05:00

In New York, concrete jungle where dreams are made of. There's nothing you can't do. Now you're in New York. These streets will make you feel brand new. Big lights will inspire you. Let's hear it for New York... (poetry courtesy of Alicia Keys/Jay-Z, Empire State of Mind)

Colby and I took the train all by ourselves into New York City. I was a little bit worried, but that was because I'm from a place with little to no public transportation. Public transportation kicks ass for tourists. Here we are headed into the city:

Navigating the city was easy as pie. Thank goodness Colby is great with maps; we arrived safely at all our destinations. Here we are fresh out of Penn Station and ready to see the city:

And here's our first city photo:

My Mr. Navigator:

We walked from Penn Station to the Empire State Building, stopping at shops along the way. Walking in the city is an experience all its own: the people, the vendors, the traffic. I swear to you, and this isn't an understatement, we were at times the only two people in a crowd speaking English. It was great, like seeing the world in an entirely different light, wondering what people were chatting about. Although, I must say that some emotions are universal in any language and can be easily interpreted: all of us tourists no matter where we were from were amazed by and enthralled by the city.

We had to stop along the way and take some photos in front of the New York Public Library. Anyone remember this building from Ghostbustersn (my favorite movie as a kid)???

The view from the Empire State Building was, here it is again....Amazing!

After Empire State we headed to the Museum of Modern Art. We ate a fabulous lunch there including the best peach raspberry crisp I've ever had. I have to say that while many of the works housed at MoMA are a little too, um, difficult for me to comprehend, seeing Starry Night by Vincent Van Gogh took my breath away. I even forgot to snap a photo. Here are some other of our favorites from MoMa:

Chairs that deter thieves - very helpful in the city:

A few of Andy Warhol's very recognizable pieces:

Good old Roy Lichtenstein:

Our day was not yet complete. We still had to stop at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and it was well worth the time. Much to my surprise, the Met had a huge display of works by Alexander McQueen called Savage Grace. Google him right this second if you don't know who he is. Go. Now. Stop reading. Okay, now that you know who he is, you can appreciate how freakin' shit your pants excited I was to see his clothing on display. No photography was allowed, but next time you're at my house I'll show you the book I bought that includes all the pieces in the Met's display.

Here are some other favorites from the Met:

We stepped about 5 feet into Central Par as we were walking about the city:

When we arrived in Time Square I thought I would loose Colby. He was so enthralled by the sights and sounds that he wasn't paying any attention to where he was going and when it was time to walk across the street. He was mesmerized.

We headed back to NJ on a late train for some fried chicken, grits, and corn bread back at casa Sassafras at 10 pm. Seriously people, we were treated like royalty by our hostess.

New Jersey- day 2

2011-06-16T07:23:00.005-05:00

Jersey Shore, bitches!

I'm in love with the freakin' ocean. I have to say that the weather during our trip was amazing, and our trip to the shore was nothing short of perfect. Sun, but not to much. Heat, but not too much. Beach goers, but not too many. The water, the breeze, the view of NYC, the lifeguards. Yes, the lifeguards. Baywatch in real life, but only the hot young men. I briefly considered faking drowning.

Check out the view of the city (NYC) from the shore:

Beautiful views of nothing but ocean and sand and trees:

Feet in the ocean and feet in the sand:

I can't decide if I love the hubs or the ocean more.... Kidding, Babe.

Me and the boy:

Shore day was definitely a highlight of our trip.

New Jersey - day 1

2011-06-15T06:55:00.006-05:00

Hazy skies over Newark airport, but nothing can get in the way of the view of the water and the trees and the, uh, pollution pouring out of that factory. Welcome to New Jersey.

Our carriage (navy blue Jetta wagon) arrived at the airport to carry us on our journey. My friend SM and her son, "the boy", were nice enough to not only invite us to stay with them but they also chauffeured us around, fed us, did our laundry, taught us to play Angry Birds, and didn't call social services after a week of hearing stories about our children. SM, whom I hadn't seen in 10 years, looks fantastic (and she's single... ladies, she can make fried chicken and uses matching napkins and little cream pitchers when serving coffee. Imagine the possibilities...). The boy was only a toddler the last time we saw him, and you can imagine that much has changed in 10 years. I met SM back at good old Wayne State College (where bright futures begin), and the boy is about the same age as Dade.

We headed to casa Sassafras to drop off our luggage. It was immediately apparent on our first trip together in the Jetta wagon that the Sassafras family and the Vescapades family would be nothing but happy during our little vacation. Colby and the boy were two peas in a pod in the back seat while SM and I talked history and politics and cooking. Our frequent trips in the Jetta wagon were not only informative for me, but I know for a fact that the boy learned at least one new swear word. That's saying a lot considering that a) SM has a potty mouth of her own, and B) he lives in New Jersey. It's a proud moment in the Vescapades house when we can expand the vocabulary of a tween.

Our first stop after a quick freshening up at casa Sassafras was Princeton, NJ. I learned that unlike NE where communities are separated by miles farmland, in NJ communities blend together forming one seemingly huge city made up of lots of smaller towns. NJ is densely populated, so it only makes sense that folks are living one on top of the other among Dunkin Donuts and Walgreens. Princeton was filled with great little shops, and taking a photo in front of the university was the closest I'll ever get to an Ivy League education.

The evening's meal was delicious, one of many meals that I neither cooked or cleaned up. Holla! I also got my first NJ bug bite. Sadly, I did not turn into Spiderwoman.

Time for a Vacay

2011-06-14T08:58:00.002-05:00

Nervous. I'm really, really nervous. And anxious. And excited. Tomorrow morning at the crack of dawn I'll be on a plane and New Jersey bound.

My kids have been away from me for a week before. They've stayed at grandma and grandpa's before. Never have those two been combined with me being states away requiring flights to get home. It's a pretty scary thought.

On that note, one of tension and excitement, I will depart tomorrow morning. In the end I know I'll survive, and the kids will be fine. Maybe it's my dad and stepmom I should be worried about. After all, they'll be the ones living with 8 kids in their house... They'll be the ones in need of a vacation.

Cherries

2011-06-12T08:44:00.001-05:00

Colby brought me a gift last Friday evening, a lovely hand-painted cherry decoration. One of Colby's coworkers makes wooden signs and decorations, but this was her first attempt at making cherries. I'd say she did a pretty darn good job. Now I just have to find the perfect spot for it.

Pretzel Crusted Chicken

2011-06-11T08:26:00.002-05:00

I haven't shared a recipe in quite awhile, so I thought I should share my version of fried chicken. I don't actually make fried chicken on the bone because I'm not confident I could get the chicken cooked all the way through before it's burnt on the outside. Lord knows I am notorious for overcooking meat due to my fear of consuming raw, tainted meat. Instead, I've taken a recipe from Rachael Ray, tweaked it a little, and ended up with a version of fried chicken that the kids love.

What you need:
Chicken breast tenders or chicken breast cut in strips
Pretzels
eggs
spinach or broccoli puree (optional)

First, I put the chicken tenders in a heavy duty plastic baggie and flatten them by pounding them with a big can of stewed tomatoes. Hey, it works. Sprinkle them with some pepper and leave them sit while you prepare the breading.

Dump some of your favorite pretzels into a food processor and buzz them until they are a fine crumb. It's noisy and takes about a minute or so, but you don't want many big chunks in your breading. Add anything into your crumbs that you'd like: cayenne, thyme, pepper, oregano and parmesan cheese, whatever.

Of course, to bread anything you need to have something wet and sticky to hold the crumbs to the chicken. I use eggs beaten together with either spinach puree or broccoli puree. You can use just eggs if you want, but it never hurts to add in a little extra veggie that no one will ever notice.

Heat a large heavy duty saucepan over medium heat. I test the oil to see if it's hot enough by dropping in a little chunk of bread. Next comes the messy part. Dip each chicken finger in the pretzel crumbs, then in the eggs, then back in the crumbs. I set them on a big plate and dip them all before I start frying. Crumbs, egg, crumbs. Rinse and repeat til all the strips are breaded.

Fry each chicken strip until it's nice and brown flipping them over half way through cooking time. It doesn't take long because the chicken breast has been pounded thin.

It's really yummy and worth the grease smell that will linger in the house for a day or two.

Lost in "Fun"

2011-06-10T22:53:00.004-05:00

After making the second dumbest purchase of my life (a very reduced priced set of passes to Lost in Fun) I loaded the kids up, headed to South Lincoln, and began a "fun" afternoon. Soren spilled her chocolate milk all over herself at Panera Bread. The boys threatened each others' lives repeatedly making me look like I'm running some kind of home-based mini mafia. It was pouring rain, so we had no better place to be than Lost in Fun. Besides maybe hell. Same difference.

For those of you who don't know what it is, Lost on Fun is like a (air conditioned!!) park with climbing toys and bounce houses. The kids love it, while mom gets a headache form all the yelling and a backache from pushing the tire swing.

Hey, it's all for the kids, right?

Well, I found on this trip that the kids are now old enough that I can spend quite a bit of time sitting on a bench reading my book. Hmmm. Maybe this can be fun after all. As much as I miss having a baby and often wish for those days back, the more the kids grow the easier it is on me to take them places.

In my defense, I have to mention that I have only one photo of the boys because I didn't even see them. They were off doing boy things and didn't even stop to say hello. Brody did beg for quarters for the arcade, but beyond that, the boys were truly lost in fun. When it was time to leave both boys were sweat covered despite the chill in the air. Lots of fun was obviously had.

The girls, on the other hand, didn't wander far from me and my spot on the bench. They enjoyed the swimgs most, which isn't surprising. Even though we have lots of things to do in our backyard, the girls are always asking for Daddy to build them a swing.

If this isn't the face of fun, I don't know what is.

I'm pretty sure I pushed Soren for a solid hour on the tire swing.

Lots of smiles!

I still have five punches left on my reduced priced pass card, so there will be at more trip to Lost in Fun in the future. Maybe this isn't such a bad deal after all.

Just Make Yourself Comfortable

2011-06-09T22:48:00.002-05:00

Seriously, cats will sleep in the strangest places.

He's there all the time now, that is, when he's not outside terrorizing the neighbors. What the hell?

Are You Ready for Some T-Ball?!

2011-06-06T20:26:00.006-05:00

Evelyn's favorite time of year has arrived......T-BALL!! She has the same team and coach as last year with the addition of one of her bestie's, Abbey. Though she tired quite quickly of dance class, t-ball is the talk of the town year 'round.

She was sooooo excited because she got to play the pitching position. While they don't actually let the girls pitch, of course, almost every ball gets hit right to her. She was in seventh heaven. She got to stay there two innings before she had to sit out. It was like Christmas.

Her first at bat got her to first base, and she eventually got home and scored a run.

She has to bring the Top Model poses to t-ball, too. That's my girl.

She's allergic to grass, so while the other girls sit on the ground, Miss Evelyn has a chair.

Her fans got a little crazy.

GOOOOOOO CUBS!!

Dance Recital 2011

2011-06-05T20:09:00.004-05:00

Talk about a tear jerker: dance recital 2011 was beautiful. The girls were so pretty in their costumes, although the cynic in me says that for what we spent on those things the girls should look spectacular. Of course I cried my eyes out as Soren danced to a song about caterpillars turning into butterflies and flying away (by Miley and Billy Ray Cyrus - barf). I tear up now just thinking about it. She's grown too fast. I want those three years back, but alas, three becomes four and so on.

It's amazing that months and months of Saturday mornings spent at dance class culminates in 10 minutes of dancing. I was super proud of both dance classes. They danced better than a lot of kids older than them. It's a shame neither of them wants to dance next fall.

Without further ado, may I present the photos from dance recital 2011!

Soren and her little class of butterfly ballerinas:

Aunt Carrie was on set for the application of eye makeup:

The best (and cutest) daughters EVER:

Sometimes being a diva is tough:

But the smiles always come back:

One proud mama:

Yee Haw!

2011-06-03T20:01:00.001-05:00

Soren found a new purpose for her totally outgrown teeter totter: turn in into a pony. Daddy even found her a hat and a lasso. She also apparently found some kool aid from the looks of that authentic Old West mustache.

And for good measure here's a photo of Soren with her bestie:

The Last Day of School (and its implications)

2011-06-01T19:50:00.004-05:00

First of all, I forgot to take Dade's photo on the last day of school. Sue me. I know he doesn't care, so I'll let it go with that.

Second of all, the last day of school is always bittersweet for me and the kids. Brody cried the night before the last day of school because he didn't want to go to third grade without his teacher, Mr. Carter. Mr. C even turned Brody into a Colorado Buffaloes fan, and that's a big deal.

Evelyn said she didn't want to go to first grade. Who would ever want to leave kindergarten, really? She was, however, excited to start t-ball. So, I think things will work out for her.

Soren is really happy to have her brothers and sisters home with her. She thinks the world of them despite her uncanny ability to start a fight with any and all of them over absolutely nothing.

Dade is happy to be homework free for three months, but summer vacation isn't a break from chores for him. He has to mow the lawn and help his mama with the, as he calls them, young ones. He's looking forward to a healthy dose of fishing.

For me summer break is just work, work, work. Not only that but it means that my kids are all another year older, and so am I. Dade has one more year of middle school, and then I will be the parent of a HIGH SCHOOLER!! Lord help me.

Here's to a "fun" filled summer.

Happy 13th Anniversary, Babe!

2011-05-30T11:40:00.003-05:00

There's a song by Shania Twain entitled "You're Still the One." Everyone knows I hate country music, but every time I hear that song I can't help but think of my husband.

We have lots of statistical odds against us: we were married young, we were pregnant when we got married, and I come from a divorced household. Despite statistics, we've spent the last 13 years relishing every day together. We've spent much time away from each other, but there was never any doubt that we could make it.

I'll let Shania say it best.

Looks like we made it
Look how far we've come my baby
We mighta took the long way
We knew we'd get there someday

They said, "I bet they'll never make it"
But just look at us holding on
We're still together still going strong

(You're still the one)
You're still the one I run to
The one that I belong to
You're still the one I want for life
(You're still the one)
You're still the one that I love
The only one I dream of
You're still the one I kiss good night

Ain't nothin' better
We beat the odds together
I'm glad we didn't listen
Look at what we would be missin'

They said, "I bet they'll never make it"
But just look at us holding on
We're still together still going strong

(You're still the one)
You're still the one I run to
The one that I belong to
You're still the one I want for life
(You're still the one)
You're still the one that I love
The only one I dream of
You're still the one I kiss good night