rain on tulips

(via Millie): Take the first sentence (or two) of the first post of each month, and you’ll have a fun little year in review! Feel free to create your own!

January: (If you have difficulty reading the text, click on the picture and you should be able to see a larger view!)

February: You know that day on the calendar when nothing is going on? The one with no scheduled appointments, and no outside plans for the kids (aside from, say, Scouts, which Dad will take care of)? It would seem that that would be a great day for sleeping in, and relaxing a bit, and re-centering yourself from the stress and go-go-go of the rest of the week, yes?

March: Well, we made it to the first of March, so that’s something, yes? I’d probably be ready to evict this little tiebreaker any time, but Fuul has a deadline, and hasn’t hardly slept all week, so he said to wait til its all done.

April: Yesterday afternoon I drove Fuul over to the parking garage near his office so he could look for his ID badge that he had misplaced and needed for the weekend (it wound up being in the bottom of his backpack later, but we didn’t discover that until after we had gone through his friend’s car, his office, and the parking garage. C’est la vie!). While I was waiting in the parking lot next to the garage, I was looking out my window at the wonderful blossoms on the tree, and thinking that I wish I had a great close-up picture for my computer desktop!

May: AE got a chinese jumprope the other day (I saw that my friend, C’s, daughter got one, and was reminded of how much fun I had with one when I was a kid!), and the kids were playing happily with it in the living room, jumping, laughing, taking turns, even!! Right up until the blood-curdling scream, and the blood, and the crying.

June: I know in my conscious mind that we are only two days away from DS’s baptism… and CC’s blessing… and (at least for the afternoon) houseguests… But I’m not ready!!

July: I can’t explain how excited I am that my sister-in-law, M., is expecting! And, she is even starting to look a little bit pregnant!

August: Not that nothing got done, but it sure feels as though nothing got done! EK had physical therapy this morning, and I got to the grocery store and the gas station — woohoo!

September: I took the kids to the elementary school yesterday, and we found out all their teachers and where their classrooms are. We even got to meet the Kindergarten teacher for GC.

October: If my page is loading slow for you, its because of the clip on “Finally” below… give it a minute! Its worth it!

November: …milk spilled across the kitchen table and under one chair on the floor (cleaned up before the kids walked through it!) …the toilet in the kids’ bathroom got plugged (since fixed, thank goodness!) (This one culminates in a running list of freakish occurrances, all joys in the day-to-day).

December: Well, things were looking up today, and so I sent everyone on their way to work and school. DA came home feeling sicker than he was yesterday, and headed to bed early. (This culminates in a long list of who was sick with what as we hit the wintery season).

So, CC got a rocking horse for Christmas, just hours before he stood up and balanced himself for the first time in the middle of the floor. He loves his pony. If he is on it, he throws his weight forward and back over and over and over, scooting it inevitably across the living room floor. This in and of itself is entertaining — though difficult, because he hasn’t figured out how to get on and off the horse on his own.

But a few days ago, he figured out a new use for his horse: WALKER! He stands in front of the pony, holds onto the handles, and pushes the pony backward back and forth across the living room and, with a little assistance at steering, around and around through the kitchen dining room office living room! He did it Friday night until his legs were wobbly underneath him from all the work!

I think its not far off until he is standing and walking all pony-less… and I’m so not ready for that day!!

Finally buckled down today and cut all the boys’ hair — Fuul included! They all look really good, even though I miss CC’s longer locks! (He still looks like he has a full head of hair, but it isn’t so full as it was. Always the downsides of doing things with babies!)

If CC wakes up, I’ll try and get a picture of all the younger ones (Fuul is always reluctant!) and put it up here!

(Amazing how long it can take to work through 5 haircuts!)

*Updated to add photo.

I got a call yesterday from a lady at church, telling me that the big department store that’s been going out of business for the past two months is down to its final two or three days, adn that she found lots of kids’ shoes on 70-90% discounts! Now, I should have run right over yesterday after she called, but that just didn’t happen, so I went today, Fuul and seven kids in tow! (Ack!)

All the boys’ shoes were gone, but we managed to find a couple cute pair of Vans for the girls for $11.99, and toyed with the idea of buying heeled boots for another $8, but decided against it. We did, however, pick up some cool sparkly jeans for AE, and a few tshirts for JS and DA.

Then, we spent far too much time across the parking lot at Target, though I’m happy to say that we managed to get shoes for JS, DS, DA, Fuul and me while we were there, and we didn’t pay full price for a single one of them! (I tried to find some cute pics of mine, because, well, they are cute, but the best I could do was this. Imagine them in Black with white and lavendar ’swooshes’. LOL)

Needless to say, shoe shopping today took all my energy, and I’ve spent the rest of the afternoon simply trying to refine the new family blog that I’m setting up. Trying to work out all the bugs before I introduce it to some of my less-computer-savvy extended family. Almost there! (Whew!!)

Fuul’s brother and sister-in-law’s daughter, M, turns 12 today! Its pretty exciting, that 12-year-old thing! Can’t wait to see them sometime, and get to congratulate her in person!

Thats how my life is going: slow, busy, slow… repeat.

Today started off slow, slow to get up, slow to get going…

Followed immediately by busy: busy to Fuul’s checkup and prescription pickup. Busy to EK’s PT appointment. Busy home to make lunches. Busy to EK’s speech appointment.

And back to slow again: slow to realize that I’ve not enough powdered sugar to finish the buttercream frosting for the sugar cookies. Slow waiting for the too-thin frosting to ‘dry’ on the frosted cookies. Slow to get off the couch to figure out whats for dinner.

Any suggestions??

(OH, yeah, sloowwwwllllyyyyyy waiting for another response from the server hosts — no, we do not have corrupted files — or at least we didn’t have corrupted files before the disappeared inexplicably off the servers!! *sigh*)

Six years already? Where on earth did the time go!?

She had a great time, got lots of grea toys*, and had a fun vanilla-pudding filled cake thanks to DA’s friend, D, who brought over his new Bake n Fill pans for us to use!

Here’s hoping this is a great year!

*She got a Magic Silk color-changing hair Cabbage patch doll, new Littlest Petshop toys and a carry case, new Polly Pocket dolls and a carry case, funky scissors, stickers, a new outfit, and a Learn to Knit DVD and kit. I think she was pretty satisfied, except for the knitting DVD; we got on tape how disappointed she was with that one! Ah well! Live and learn!

Grrr…

Database problems
(WordPress database error: [Can't find file: 'tulips_comments.MYI' (errno: 2)]
SELECT COUNT(*) FROM tulips_comments WHERE comment_approved = ‘0′

WordPress database error: [Can't find file: 'tulips_comments.MYI' (errno: 2)]
SELECT COUNT(comment_ID) FROM tulips_comments WHERE comment_approved = ’spam’)

Looked up the information*, but it seems that we are going to have to wait for the people who run my server to fix their mySQL something… Fuul said he’d prepare a ticket to see if they don’t get on it. Or something. My site-editing display is also messed up by these errors, so its difficult to see my entire message as I type!

In the meantime, comments on my site (and Anna’s) are not working; real shame, since I thought I’d get some comments here over the holidays, and I’m certain that she was expecting some while she’s in China/Bali again! I think you might be able to submit comments, but they aren’t accessible to me at all right now. Not even old ones left by people before.

I also am having difficulty backing up my database content, in case the server people do more damage, but when I click ‘backup’, all I get is a never-moving progress bar, and nothing happens. So, blah!

Anyway… Christmas was wonderful, lots of pictures to share later (when I’m certain that the database server won’t eat them!), and when I’m in a better mood. Also, there ought to be some pictures of GC’s birthday, if I get a cake finished and presents wrapped!

So. That’s where we stand, in case anyone was wondering.

*From WordPress Support: “The files ending MYD and MYI are how mysql stores data - so the host needs to fix that. No-one else can.”

Merry, Merry Christmas to all!!

Ah, the wonderful feel of new ‘jammies on Christmas Eve! (No guarantees that any of them will still be clean and present in the Christmas morning photos! Such is the peril of pjs on little ones!)

And thanks, Grandma and Grandpa J for the fun new pjs!!

(Just a note: its still not bedtime, and the presents are mostly still not wrapped! In case you were wondering!)

Is it bedtime yet??

I have a couple kids in pjs already, even though we have not yet done the traditional Christmas Eve gift opening, which is invariably pjs!

Several are offering to forego dinner, in order to go to bed now.

Still far too many gifts to wrap, and no inclination to get them done, since I’d have to hide out in my room, or wait til everyone’s gone to bed… or at least until Fuul wakes up and reminds me whats for who!

Its Sunday afternoon: traditional naptime!!

5:40pm Christmas Eve.

An entire world away, and yet not enough time. Ah, the beauty of paradox!

I was making up my Pinwheels this afternoon, and realized I’d forgotten to include sour cream in the list of ingredients!! Woops!

Its been corrected, if anyone is interested in the updated version!

OK. Back to wrapping presents, and thinking about making cookies for Santa!

This afternoon, I threw together a quick cheese log (or two!?) for snacking on Christmas Day… don’t recall where I got the recipe originally, as I’ve lost the written version, but its so simple that I can just recall it off the top of my head!

Ranch Cheese Log

2- 8oz packages cream cheese, softened
2-3 cups finely shredded cheddar/cheddar-monterey jack/colby cheese
1 package Ranch dressing/dip mix
1/2 cup crushed/chopped walnuts or pecans

Mix cheeses and ranch seasoning together until well blended. Separate into halves. Spread half the nuts on a sheet of wax paper. Using hands, form half the cheese into a log or a ball, then roll in the nuts. Repeat with second half of nuts and cheese. Wrap in wax paper, then in plastic wrap, and chill several hours (at least) in the refrigerator. Serve with crackers or other snacky foods.

And, because the kids reminded me of it, and I have all the ingredients here at home, tomorrow I’ll probably make Pinwheels!

New Mexico Pinwheels

2- 8oz packages cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sour cream
1 cup shredded cheddar/cheddar-monterey jack/colby/mexican blend cheese
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1- 7oz can diced green chiles, juice included
1/2-1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
(optional)1 can spam, grated*

1 pkg flour tortillas

Mix first 10 ingredients until well-mixed. Spread the mixture thinly on one tortilla. Starting at one edge, roll the tortilla into a long, spiralling roll. Cut off ends to discard (or snack on!), then cut the remaining roll into 1 inch pieces. Set on their ends so the ‘pinwheels’ show. Repeat with more tortillas until the filling mix is used up! Serve as a snack or appetizer — or dinner, if the mood strikes!

*You can also use cooked ham, finely diced or grated

These are standard fare at our holiday snacktimes, alongside Lil’ Smokies in BBQ sauce; summer sausage; cheeses; crackers; pickles; nachos; and any other fun, snacky stuff we can come up with! (I’m certain I’m missing something, but you get the idea. If I think of it later, maybe I’ll stick it up here as well!)

I really wanted to be in the spirit, but it ain’t happening!

Fuul’s job is not letting up (he has all week off next week, but he’s having some serious issues with trying to finish up this project, and he says if he doesn’t finish it up this afternoon, he’s off the project entirely) and his Christmas spirit is lacking entirely! He doesn’t even have brain power left over to discuss what to get the kids for Christmas. I hope that after today he’ll be better.

I’ve not done any shopping for food for Christmas. I need to. But first, I ought to decide what we are going to be eating for Christmas!

I still need to get out and get a few last minute things. I have a friend who is picking up a few things for me, but they were out of stock the last time he checked; he is checking again today, but I won’t know until tonight if it all works out. If it doesn’t, then I’m really in trouble, out several gifts I was kind of counting on!

And so, what am I doing today to alleviate all this stress? Am I making up shopping lists? Am I running to grab those last minute things?? Nah. I got it in my head that today would be the ideal day to try and sort and clean out the playroom. Oh yeah. There’s thinkin’ for you!

Ugh.

Curse this “Christmas on a Monday, thereby depriving you of a good chance to run out Christmas Eve and grab those last necessary things!” thing. I’m so over it already!