funny kendal videos

the past 2 mornings, kendal has gone to sleep jumping in his jumper. here are 2 videos of him doing it (going to sleep). please excuse the shakiness of the video, i've never claimed to be a good film maker. every time i laughed, the camera shook plus it woke him up. i was really trying to hold back, hence the strange laugh.

where do cats go when it rains?

willow (aka killer) went outside this morning when nathaniel left. soon after, it started pouring rain outside. at some point during the rain, i went downstairs for some drink and saw willow sitting underneath the cover for the grill. soaked.

i let him in, he shook water all over my feet, and then wanted to get in my lap (still soaking wet). eventually he licked himself dry and both cats took a LONG LONG nap downstairs.

hours later:
went downstairs for water and saw both cats sitting at the back door looking outside. bo said "meow" and i knew what that mean... it is time to go outside! so i cracked the door and propped it both open and closed with my shoes. both cats went outside, and i even tried to video willow hunting by the bird feeder. (he never pounced, i guess he lost interest on what he was originally focusing.) it started to sprinkle then immediately poured rain, so i went downstairs to close the door. bo was scooting inside as i turned the corner on the stairs. he was still dry.

willow, though, i don't know where he is. i called him. i went to both doors to see if i could see him. but, he was gone! where do cats go when it rains?

lima bean hour

there is a blog that i frequent. i have to do it on the down low, for reasons i won't mention. it is one of the 2 (or 3) sites a visit on a regular basis in which i never comment or let my presence be known.

so recently, on this blog, the writer posted a wonderful poem. really, s/he is on a poetry kick right now. most of them i do not connect with. but this one, i did. i just love it. i've read it every day for weeks now.

You do not like them but I do.
So the times when you are away
are some of my favorite hours.

I soak them overnight
in a large pot
and use the same white bowl.

hot enough
to melt three pats of butter
that I stir in with a fork
and cover with salt and pepper.

The first taste is a sliding headlong
into the gorgeous oblivion
of God's vegetable graciousness
and it is lovely.

Perhaps if you liked them
we would eat them all the time.

Perhaps if you liked them
I would never have loved you at all.

History Making Farming Author

now here is a local farmer with a plan! note the pronunciation of strawberries, watermelon, children(s). this video is long, but very worth it. mom, make dad watch it.

April Cards

i made lots of cards in april! some of these (like the quilting cards) were made in technique classes, but i made up several all by myself. like the easter card. i actually made many more, but i'm tired of waiting on blogger to upload the pictures! it is bedtime! (9.30) haha i'm old.
















which one is your favorite? i really like the fruit cards. especially the orange one.

moving card (slider)

made a new card this morning. i have an order for 30 moving cards, and wanted to do something cool and new, yet still cost effective (i will sell these 30 cards for $100). my challenge here was to make 30 cards as inexpensive as possible (actually to find that nice balance between low cost and beauty). overall, the greatest expense here was the designer paper ($12). i had 12 sheets, so that made 24 cards. the remaining 6 will be on regular cardstock lined with some of the leftover designer paper. since i didn't have to buy the stamps (borrowed them from melissa - THANKS!) i saved $50 or more. woohoo! and in case you were wondering, i did not come up with this idea myself. melissa mentioned making a slider card, and i found this website that had a wonderful tutorial on how to do it! so, they may be "low cost" for me to make, but they are VERY labor intensive. i've been working all day and only cut 12 sheets so far. there is a lot of small cuts and scoring on these sliders! but, they look so great! this card isn't one that is easily photographed, so i just made a short video of it! let me know what you think!

prankster update

i hate to jinx myself, but on thursday, nathaniel changed my voice mail message to his voice... and after that, the dude has only called once.

maybe that solved the problem. we'll see. this weekend i'm sure will be a grand drunk weekend for one crazy restricted-numbered foreigner!

incorrecto numero

for the past week, i've been getting several calls from "RESTRICTED" at 2 and 5 am. yesterday, however, it happened during the day. so, i answered. someone, male, speaking spanish (slurring) said something to me at which time i replied "you have the wrong number." then he started saying more words, and i said slowly and louder
"Y O U H A V E T H E W R O N G N U M B E R "
(like if i said it louder he'd understand my english).

well, he called back 3 more times, within 10 minutes. this was about 3pm yesterday. how in the world do you say "you have the wrong number" in spanish?????

later, around 9, he called again (several times). the first time, though, nathaniel answered and said "que pasa me amigo" then he smiled and listened, and hung up. said the dude was obviously drunk.

drunk all day?

so last night at 1.3o and again at 3.30 (am), i had 2 more calls from mr. restricted.

what am i supposed to do? i called alltel. can't get his calls blocked, neither can they identify who he really is (since his number is restricted). my only option is to change my number. the number i've had for 7 years - and it is on 1000 business cards!!!

i have chosen not to change my number yet. i did, however, have my voicemail reset with hopes that i could leave the "computer voice" on there. however, that did not work, i have to verbally change my message in order to ever listen to any i receive. so, i have a new voice message on my voicemail. and it doesn't have my name on it. (if you listen carefully, you can hear rocket singing in the background - he was in the bathtub!)

any advice? what should i do? what should i not do? my only ideas is from now own, i will answer and hangup (in one swift motion) when he calls. i just have no idea what to do that will WORK to make him stop calling my WRONG NUMBER! (how do you say "STOP CALLING THIS NUMBER" in spanish?)

kendal is sending you kisses!

strangeusa

want to look at something weirdly interesting? how about this website... http://www.strangeusa.com/Default.aspx

you can see how many reports of hauntings and UFO sightings there are in YOUR town!!!

waiting on the model...

and nathaniel to get back from the DQ!

i don't really have anything to say, except i finished making the bridal luncheon invitations (i called it the bridal tea since it'll be at the tea room). they are really simple cards, but i think they look really good.


i bought the dress stamp at michaels. i used the versamark to stamp it onto pretty in pink cardstock, then i sprinkled the copper embossing powder over it (all 12 of them, each, one at a time), then i used the heat gun on it to melt the powder.


next, i used dark red watercolor paint to paint the dress (since that is kinda what color her bridesmaids dresses are). then i used white watercolor paint to accent behind the top and waist of the dress.

i cut each of those out, then mounted it onto real red cardstock, then that onto black cardstock. the card itself is a gold glitter card that comes pre-folded and pre-cut at michaels (with matching envelopes). i didn't know SU! made gold paper (or copper or silver), so that is why i became a traitor and used michael's stuff.

anyway, i printed the invite itself on the printer here onto white cardstock. cut those out, and mounted on black. last, i trimmed the edge of the cards (to make them more square), used the horizontal slot punch to make the holes for the ribbon, then tied 2 loops of the burgandy ribbon (from michaels) onto the top of the card.

{i was going to post a photo of the inside, but i suppose it has my phone # on it, so maybe i better not. anyway, it says... "all dressed up in our fancy and pearls, we remember the time as little girls, we giggled and curtsied and long for the day, when our parties would be real and not just play" followed by the invite.}


there you have it! easy to make! i made 12 in 3 days... about 1 hour each day!

how kendal sleeps...

in the past couple of weeks, he has become a side sleeper! here is a video of him this morning (after 8) still sleeping on his side. he is definitely sleeping in this morning. which is good, since at 5.30 he was awake and hungry.

no speaka french

anyone have an idea?

little mudcat

kendal attended his first baseball game last friday at 5 county stadium (carolina mudcats). we had great seats, front row right behind home plate. those tickets are only $9 per person, i highly recommend buying those if you ever go to watch the mudcats.


so while we were there, we bought him his first "real" hat. he didn't like wearing it at first, but after an hour or so, he was fine with it (didn't try to pull it off). now he'll wear it without even caring. maybe he'll be a hat boy after all.


after 1 bottle and about 5 innings, he was SO sleepy and just couldn't take it anymore. he laid, still, quiet, in his stroller for a while, but then got fussy (because he was so sleepy) and so i held him. he laid his head on my shoulder and sucked on his passy and rubbed his blanket, but still wouldn't give it up (too nosey!)... so we left at the 7th inning (or was it 6th?). he was asleep before we got out of the parking lot. he was SO tired.


he did really well, though, and i look forward to taking him to more games. maybe next time we'll pick the 6pm game (not 7.30 - which is his bedtime)!

into the wild

amy told me about this movie (called into the wild) a couple of weeks ago (thanks, amy!). she told me the whole plot, i asked her too, and i'm glad she did. based on the story she told me, i had to see the movie - even though i knew what was gonna happen!

basically, the movie is based on a nonfiction book by jon krakauer (also called into the wild), which i would like to read. the book, and the movie, are about the life of chris mccandless, who makes a decision to give up all (most all) worldly possessions and "live off the land." he travels around the US (even rafting down the colorado river) meeting many interesting characters along the way. each of those characters (except the railroad po-po) fall in love with the free spirit and hopeful wisdom of the young man (he is quite naive). mr. mccandless eventually makes his way into the wild alaskan countryside (near healy, in danali nat. park - pretty much the center of the state) and takes up residence in an abandoned bus. here he overcomes his fear of killing things - and lives off of a 10 pound bag of rice, fresh kill, and native vegetation. (the hunting aspect was the only part of the movie that was not realistic, to me, because the kid killed a moose with a 22 caliber rifle! no way would that happen. the moose just dropped right there where he shot him. i just don't believe that is possible, with a 22 anyway.) during his time on the bus, he did much self reflection and decided that maybe he needed his family (or people) after all (plus he was out of rice). so he attempted to make his way back along the same path in which he got to the bus, except the rivers were swollen because it was spring (snow melt). rather than finding a new path home, he ventures back to the bus and reestablishes camp. days of rain made it hard to hunt, and he got very very hungry. he used a book he had to help find edible vegetation, however his hungered state probably caused him to make a poor decision on what to eat (he misread the text)... which eventually causes him to die of starvation.

now i know i just told you what happens, but let me assure you it is well worth the 2.5 hours to just sit down and watch the film. the scenery is beautiful, and the director (sean penn) did a great job of telling the story with the camera. many of the characters remind me of people i know, which seemed to make it more personal for me while i was watching it. anyway, it is on PPV right now, so rent it (or buy it) if you are looking for a good movie. (just remember, it is not a comedy or an action, it is a very tragic drama.)

Bouncy Rocket

Kate and i were hanging out downstairs (where it is cool) and we put rocket in his rainforest jumparoo. after about 15 minutes, he started fussing. i reached over and bounced his seat. he started kicking after that: that was the 1st video. note the un-coordination with the bouncing (he's more just kicking). in the next video, he is getting a little more coordinated with his pushing and kicking. lastly, he quickly became the bouncing baby boy i've been patiently waiting for! kick kick little rocket!

life is unfair.

"I pushed the wheel chair while Tracy dragged along the IV pole with Emily's cocktail of IV drugs. I have to say this is a VERY hard thing to do, walking by a window, seeing a nice Saturday and the realization of how messed up this all is. Emily was bawling and then said "I can't believe this is all happening to me." At that point I lost it and started crying. I held my tears as much as possible for Emily. I could tell Emily had come to a deeper understanding of what is going on. I feel so powerless and I want to make her better and I can't."

sarah

i'm pretty sure i've previously blogged about sarah parker, a neighbor of melissa's in fort knox, that was diagnosed with brain cancer last october. well, time has past, as has chemo, and sarah's tumor has not responded to treatment. it is so sad, i just can't imagine what her parents are going through. well recently it has come to my attention that there is another little girl suffering through chemotherapy for lymphoma (she lives in CA).

emily

i just feel awful that there are children and parents that have to experience such hardships. it makes me feel both grateful and helpless at the same time. it makes me want to kiss kendal and thank the Lord that i can be home with him all day.

for years, my family has participated in the march of dimes (walkamerica, premature babies) and the susan b. komen race for the cure (breast cancer). if there is a walk/run for lymphoma, i'd like to find out about it. even leukemia - i'm sure there are some. unfortunately, i didn't participate in komen last year (i was WAY too pregnant to swing my ankles all 3.1 miles) and i'm gonna miss walkamerica this year. i love doing those things because i know that in the end, people are helped. but, you never really DIRECTLY get see how they are helped.

here is what i'm gonna do RIGHT NOW to help. i'm gonna make them both a card - just so they know they have a fan club that extends way further than the walls of the hospital and/or their own back yard! i challenge you ALL to do the same (even if you don't make it). lets decorate their walls with cards and fill their hearts with love!!!

Ronald McDonald House
Sandra/Sarah Parker
Room #32
535 Alabama Ave.
Memphis, TN 38105

Miss. Emily Pepper

4997 Bela Drive

San Jose, CA 95129

Lately...

I've been very busy. Sorry I have not blogged. Unfortunately, I don't see it changing anytime soon. April has turned out to be a very busy month. It already appears that May will be no different! Welcome Spring, Goodbye Winter!!!

This really isn't a very exciting blog, but I did want to share the recipe for the wonderful dinner we had last night. I made a tomato pie.

I started by putting a pot of water on the stove to boil. While it heated, I started chopping up a yellow bell pepper and an onion. I heated a Tbs of olive oil in a saute pan and then browned the pepper and onion, adding a freshly pressed clove of garlic and a dash of Italian seasoning (basil, oregano, etc.), salt, and pepper.

while that was browning, i put the crust in the oven (while it was preheating to 375 degrees). By the time the oven was hot, the crust was well thawed - it does not need to be baked first. When the water boiled, I put 4 tomatoes, whole, in the boiling water for about 5 minutes. Doing this makes it easy to peel the tomatoes.

So next I peeled the tomatoes, and cut them into slices. i sprinkled both sides with salt and placed them on paper towels (both above and below) to absorb the water (melissa, this is how you make a tomato pie that is NOT soggy). I didn't come up with that alone, I learned it from Paula Dean yesterday when I looked up this recipe.

OK, so on to cooking. I put one layer of tomatoes on the crust, followed by all the browned onions and peppers, then the remaining tomatoes on top of that. In a separate bowl, I mixed a bag of Italian cheese (already shredded) with about a half of a cup of mayonnaise. This ends up being kinda chunky like cookie dough. The cheese and mayo mixture is spread on top of the tomatoes and then I just pressed it down a bit.

Pop that in the oven and in about 30 minutes, the cheese will be brown and it'll be ready to eat! It is very tasty (just like the one they make at the Tea Room), has no meat (for those of you who are pregnant and/or don't like meat), and you could make it lactose free if you used fake cheese! I also imagine that fat free mayo would be ok, as would just using a "fake" sour cream rather than mayo (if you detest mayo). I also think that using canned tomatoes would be an option also. I'm sure it won't taste quite as fresh, but I think it'd be good if you wanted to shorten a step! You could also make it low carb or wheat free if you didn't use a crust beneath it! I think it would still be good without the crust because the crust really doesn't add to the flavor. It just helps hold it together when you spoon it out!

So, if you make one, let me know how it turns out!