Unhistoric Acts

coming out of my fog...and a project

As of yesterday I emerged from the barf-induced mind fog that took up most of my week. For days I was exhausted and sick to my stomach and could only think one step down the road...not a fun way to be. But by Thursday I could feel the fog lifting and I could remember what multi-tasking was, so I threw a load in the washer, flipped on some itunes, set my dvr, and considered rounding up our current Netflix selections. Now that's what I'm talking about.

For the first time this summer my kids have enough down-time to get good and bored. I keep turning off the tv, but after 45 minutes or so it magically comes back on...often when I feel powerless to keep up the good fight. In defense of such boredom (and nonstop tv watching) I started looking for a project. I pulled up several cool looking recipes on Joy the Baker...like these mini chocolate-dipped bananas or these cream cheese cinammon rolls. Parker quickly informed me that "boys do not bake." I was astounded at this reponse based on the number of Top Chef episodes he had watched lately. When I inquired about all of the boys on Top Chef or Iron Chef America he rethought his position. It went something like this: "Parker does not bake."

I was sad.

I wanted the mini chocolate-dipped bananas.

Since Parker unilaterally dismissed the entire baking/cooking world, I moved on to Becca. We chose an interesting modern-looking wall decoration piece for her new room. We stalled out on her room sometime before we all headed out of town, and I figured it was time to once again take up the gauntlet. I found this idea in a Better Homes and Gardens Project magazine. Super easy. This is a project that can be completed in an hour once you assemble all of the suuplies.

Those long strips...gutter covers. You can get them at Home Depot. The magazine said they cost a dollar a piece, but they were $2 each at my store. I guess gutter covers are more expensive in these parts. Becca painted some clothes pins in orange and green and white and glued magnets on the back...then you just clip away...photos, cards, small bits of interesting art.

Here's a close-up:
The pieces are curved, which makes them interesting. They are hung at the top with cup hooks. I tried to get silver ones...but no, they are gold. Where are all of the silver cup hooks?? WHERE??? I'm also ordering some cool, graphic vinyl circles to put behind Becca's bed, and I think one or two of the circles would look cool behind the corner of this project. My delimma right now? Find stronger magnets.

So, that's what we've been up to. Nothing earth shattering. My task for today? Finally get the armoir moved out so mid-century modern can move into my bedroom.

it's a down week

I had already planned in my mind that this would be a low-key week. Our out-of-town visitors are off visiting other family and we are in between trips...a perfect time to regroup, get the laundry under control, and hopefully get some reading done.

Of course, I had never planned on laying in bed for two days straight. Well, laying in bed, punctuated by trips to check on sick children and empty their vomit bowls. I thought we were through the worst of it by last night...only to have Jordan start throwing up just as the other two had stopped. I looked at Sterling, who was just in from work, and told him he would have to empty her bowl...I'd had enough of vomit. Turns out she is old enough to empty her own bowl. And, as luck would have it, Jordan had a seriously abbreviated version of the bug...only throwing up twice in comparison with Parker's multi-hour dry-heave fest.

I have reports of at least two cousins down with the same bug. Hopefully, those left unscathed will remain so. As for me, I've lost 6 pounds in the last 5 days. I'm not complaining...but I'm just not feeling myself. I'm operating on 1 cylinder, which boils down to only accomplishing the basics. No laundry...minimal dishes. Since no one is eating the dishes are more manageable than normal. Still, I'm anxious to get back to my old, full-pressure, all-cylinders-pumping self. I'd like a few family dinners, and some quilting, and heck, possibly even some of that reading I keep promising to get to.

As for today, Parker is all a-buzz about getting some older Pokemon DS games so he can "migrate" -- whatever that means. And Becca is cashing in on a pedicure I promised last week while the big girls were gone. Game Stop and pedicures...that sounds about right. Food...that still sounds so wrong.

the 4th

We spent the Fourth in Lampasas...remember? the country home? This time we had lots of family and one giant sleepover. The kids, particularly Parker, were in heaven. He's at that blessed age where collecting rocks and playing with the water hose hold hours of entertainment.

Mom arranged some artful deco in the big mesquite tree just out the back door.

And Debbie brought up a pinata. Guess who broke it open? Madison...who'd have thought?

There was a kiddie pool for the three and under crowd...that was enjoyed immensely by the eight and under crowd. We also had a giant slip and slide and set off Diet Coke/Mentos geysers. I highly recommend the geysers...they're cheap entertainment at its best. We wrapped the evening up with real small-town Texas hamburgers at Storms. It was hot and buggy...but totally worth the calories.

Right now, most of us are in a calorie-negative zone. A stomach bug of epic proportions is ripping its way through our little family. Rebecca succumbed last night and Parker is...even as I type this...throwing up on the couch. He is remarkably quiet at throwing up. I stop by to check on him every so often and empty out his bowl. Other than that...not a peep.

I'm crossing my fingers we're through with this bug by tomorrow.

off the grid

I've been unexpectedly out of pocket for a few days. Monday Carrie, Debbie, and I drove our kids to EFY in San Antonio. It was all fun and games...you know, making the beds in the dorm rooms, exclaiming over the fun activities listed in the published agenda, reminiscing over our own dorm room days. Then Carrie, Debbie, and I left our little darlings and went to lunch, and shopping, and all manner of kid-free activities.

Fun and games, indeed.

Then, a text at 12:45 AM.

"I'm puking my guts out."

This was from Madison. The fainter.

I went into full-on Momma Bear mode. My baby was sick, and I couldn't get to her. I was a caged animal. And so, by 5 AM, when she was still dry heaving her little guts out...some 180 miles away...I threw caution to the wind, launched myself into my car, and headed out.

[insert superhero music here]

I know. Many of you are thinking HELICOPTER PARENT. I'm so not a helicopter parent. Vomit just brings out the tender mercies in me.

So, anyway, I rush into Madison's dorm room at around 8:30. She's sick. But not SO sick. She has no fever, she's stopped vomiting, and I deem her recoverable. I set in for the day...buy her a gatorade and crackers...and begin Mission Recovery immediately. She sleeps on and off for a while, catching up from her night spent on the bathroom floor. By noon, she perks up and is back to non-stop texting. But she's weak and shaky and has NO DESIRE WHATSOVER to put a morsel of food in her mouth EVER AGAIN. I hand her a cracker...she nibbles the tiniest corner...like a mouse. I roll my eyes.

At this point you may wonder why I didn't just bundle up my baby and take her home. Well, for one thing, she's taller than me...which makes bundling rather untidy. And for another, this particular camp, EFY, is something legends are made of (in our minds anyway). Maddie has looked forward to this for years...she's planned, and shopped, and thought about it all year. So to just give up, to throw in the towel, to say "no thanks," was too much of a disappointment. Yes, again with the tender mercies.

Back to the story---

By about 4...it is clear she's not recovered enough to go the dance scheduled for that evening. I'm loathe to drive back home just in case the night time vomiting reoccurs. (We all know how vomit likes the darkness). So, I make the executive decision to get a hotel room nearby, let her get a good night's sleep at the hotel, and then deposit her back at the camp by breakfast the next morning.

I make all of the arrangements and off we go. [Thank you iPhone.]

By the next morning, she is, in fact, better. The fact that she downs an entire omelet for breakfast is my sign that my work is done. I check her back in at the office, trudge all over campus looking for her group, find them, spend another 20 minutes looking for my car, and drive the three hours back to Houston.

I was home precisely 43 minutes when I get a text that her stomach isn't feeling so well. Two hours later, while in Walmart, I get a call from Jordan telling me that Madison is in her room. I call the nurse (cuz, see, I have her number in my phone) and discuss the situation with her. I think she is fine, so let's give her the evening and see how she does.

Meanwhile, we have tickets for Ice Age - Dawn of the Dinosaurs...a movie Parker has literally been counting down since December. I have an uneasy feeling, so I hold my phone through the movie...just in case. No vibrations. No texts nothing.

No news is good news. Right?

By 10:30 I've heard nothing. I would at least expect a goodnight text. I'm loathe to invite unhappy news, so I wait. I'm reading a good book, and every ten pages or so I look at the clock and wonder. Finally, at 11 I text both girls goodnight. About four minutes later a text comes through..."I feel fine. I'm having a great time. Don't worry about me. Love, Maddie."

Then I fall into a coma.

The end.

MCM - mid century modern

Currently, (aside from our bed) our master bedroom furniture is a collection of cast offs from other rooms and other houses. Ideally, I'd like some groovy floor to ceiling drapes, new end tables, and a kicking mid-century dresser. Right now the master is sporting an armoire Sterling originally made to house our tv and components about three houses ago. Since then we've painted it black, added some brushed nickel hardware, and it's holding a bunch of blankets and our teeny tv. Still, we'd like to boot the armoir...bring in the dresser...and put a bigger (thin profile) tv either on the dresser or hanging above. Not that we ever watch tv in our room, but I suspect that the tiny tv is the hold up. And I certainly want to encourage both myself and Sterling to watch as much tv as possible in every room of the house. Cuz, you know, lethargy is my main goal right now.

To this end, I've been searching for a mid century dresser on craigslist and ebay for the past several months. Finally, I came across this Heywood Wakefield that has been refinished and is in great condition.
While this definitely was produced during the mid century era, there is some debate online as to whether Heywood Wakefield pieces are "classic" mid century pieces. Most say yes, but some feel like the curves push it more to the art deco realm. Personally, I'm interested in the clean lines...and the base makes it clearly mid century to me. Plus, while I'm thrilled with the authenticity and history of this dresser, at the moment my decor is more transitional and doesn't require strict adherence to mid century "rules." This is a wordy way of saying...I'm just picking what I like...the only way to decorate, in my humble opinion. The other reason I really like this dresser is that it was refinished contrary to the originally prescribed finish. Heywood Wakefield furniture typically has a champagne or wheat (very light) finish...which is not something I want. But the nice guy who refinished this piece threw convention to the wind and went dark. Thank you nice guy. So here it is...in our living room at the moment. Today I need to empty out the armoire and figure out (logistically) if the armoire can move to the gameroom. More storage in the gameroom is always a positive. And you know me...I'm all about the positive. In fact, positive is my middle name.

Enough goofing...today is the day to get the big girls ready for EFY. They think this means shopping, pedicures, and having their eyebrows waxed. Hello? I don't think I even KNEW about eyebrow waxing until my 20s.

crafting? what?

It's true. Yesterday I pulled out a project and went to town. Well, not so much to town as to the first pit stop. But I had my ipod blasting and I was mixing and matching colors to my heart's content.

I've had that mat for probably 10 years, and it's lived under my bed (in three different houses) for most of that time. It's all cut up and probably needs to be replaced...but since I only craft like twice a year...a new mat seems kind of silly. Right?

So, yes, I'm making a quilt. Just a throw really. For the living room. The kids and I like to turn the fan on and lie under a quilt while we are watching tv. Sterling, who doesn't like the fan on, usually walks into the room and wonders (out loud) why we are using BOTH the fan AND a quilt. Because we like it that way honey. It feels breezy. And cozy. All at the same time.

So far you can see I've cut the green and blue pieces. But have no fear...the brown and orange are on their way. I've decided to do a coin quilt. You can get the idea here. Mine won't be crib size...at least once I figure out the difference between crib size and throw. I need it to be long enough to reach my toes. Otherwise it's worthless. Mostly.

Today I'm hitting the road...driving about two hours away to pick up the big girls from girls' camp. Then Monday I'm driving them to San Antonio for EFY. Then Thursday there is another three and a half hour drive to Lampasas. I fear for my little project. It's not exactly traveling material. So...it may be after the 4th before we see progress. I'll let you know.

trash or treasure...you be the judge

I mentioned a post or two ago about some scavenger shopping we did while in Lampasas. I'm not sure my kids had ever been in a thrift store or second hand store before. My older girls did not seem too terribly interested. Parker, however, was excitedly exploring the wares. The shop we were in was tiny and disorderly and markedly unappealing...which may explain the girls' less-than-enthusiastic response. But Parker was not deterred by a little filth. No siree.

Me neither.

I've had it in my mind for quite a while that I'd like a collection of white footed bowls for my mantle. When I'm in Marshall's or TJ Maxx or Target I keep my eyes peeled...but no luck so far. So when I saw this in the window of the second hand store, I manuevered our little group right inside.

It cost $4. Surely it is no great historical or ceramic treasure, but if fit the bill nicely.

While I was negotiating the bowl Parker found his ALL-TIME FAVORITE ANIMAL -- the saber-tooth tiger. I'm not even kidding; I've known for at least a year that the saber-tooth tiger was his favorite animal. I know this because he reminds me several times a week. "Mom, guess my favorite animal."

"Saber-tooth tiger?"

"Yep."

So, obviously, when faced with a ceramic representation of his all-time favorite animal...he could not be denied.

Except I didn't like it...and I JUST finished de-junking his room. AND it cost $10 (seriously, it looks like something you would paint in summer camp). So, I put him off. We slid out of the store, and he was stewing. Just a few stores later the girls found purses that they felt would seriously enhance their life experience, and Parker saw the glimmer of an opening.

He told me (quite bluntly): "Well, if they get those purses, then I definitely get the saber-tooth tiger."

Oh really.

However, after the purse purchase (and a look or two at Parker's gloomy countenance) I told him that he could have the saber-tooth if he could bargain the price down. My mom went with him. She tried to teach him the ways of dickering the price. He completely missed the point...but got the tiger for $7.

Behold.

Aren't you jealous?

my main squeeze

Yesterday was our 19th anniversary.

I was 19 when I got married. So, officially, Sterling has now put up with me longer than my parents. In fact, he has put up with me longer than any person on this earth. How's that for a distinction?

Even though this photo does seem so long ago...a lifetime ago...and even though I can hardly fathom a time without Sterling by my side...it's all slipped by so quickly. College graduations, jobs, pregnancies, newborn babies, sleepless nights, toddlers, moves, budgeting, cooking, cleaning...so much cleaning, dates, move nights at home, take out dinners, trips, shopping, church, serving, working, more college, and more college. I feel so lucky to have had this amazing person to help me through it...to do it all with me. And now we have this incredible history that we share. He was there for it all. And so was I.

Happy Anniversary honey.

back from the country

The kids and I have spent the last few days in Lampases, Texas at my parent's new home-in-the-country. The whole place is cute -- the house, the town, the local swimming pool that we went to TWICE. Yep, my parents are getting back to their small town roots...at least on the weekends.

Well, here it is.....it was mighty tight...what with the four kids and everything.

Just kidding...this is what we call the bunk house. That is, we hope it will be the bunk house eventually, but right now it houses the lawn mower and deer feed and other country necessities. Here Parker and my Mom are pulling out the bird feed. All southern duties are completed in PJs.

Parker is filling up this bucket of water for the deer. The white thing in the corner is a salt lick (also for the deer). We like our deer to have the proper sodium balance. As a side note: when I was little, like 9 or 10, my cousin, Chris, had his own salt lick (don't ask me why). We would have contests to see who could take the most licks before being totally grossed out. We should have been grossed out because we were all licking on the same salt lick...but that's not how I remember it. Hmmm. Salt licks. Good memories.

After the feeding and watering...comes the harvesting.

My mom made me bring a bunch of these home. I mean, how much squash and zuchinni and cucumbers can one woman eat?

What does one do in a small Texas town during a hot summer day? Well, we swam at the local pool, ate at the local restaurants, and then walked around the town square. We saw these lovely ladies at the bakery. They said they were out on a "hoot."

Parker was impressing the townspeople with his dedication to Texas A&M. There was Aggie stuff everywhere. Becca wanted me to buy a book at the local bookstore titled Born an Aggie. I had to seriously remind her, along with the rest of my children, that they were born Cougars. "YOU WERE BORN A COUGAR, DANG IT."

Here's the whole group (minus me) taking a rest outside of the shoe store. Only a few stores later the girls would find the animal print purses of their dreams. Also, Parker would shame me into buying him the most hideous saber tooth tiger figurine ever produced. Yes, we came back to Houston far richer in country goods. Can't wait to go back!!

sewing

Becca started piecing her quilt yesterday. She was sewing like a woman a-fire...at one point she said, "This is SO addicting!" She's a funny girl -- that Becca.

When I left to pick Parker up from Cub Camp, she insisted on staying home to sew. This meant that while I was in line for pick up, I got a frantic call from Becca that "something" had "flown off" the sewing machine, and did I think it was broken forever? No. Not forever.

She had actually broken the needle. So we slipped a new one in place and her addiction continued. I finally MADE her go to bed, and right now...she's sewing away again. I think I might be in trouble. I thought this one $8 project would last her a while. But if she really is addicted, as she claims, we could be in trouble. Fabric is pricey.

I also have a number of pictures of her sticking her tongue out. What is it about sticking one's tongue out that enhances concentration so completely?

Now, if I could only become addicted to washing Parker's cub shirt EVERYDAY, or making dinner EVERYDAY, or taking a shower and putting on make up EVERYDAY...I'd really have things together over here.