Pumpkin Carving simulator

Since we love all things jack-o-lanterny here at the homestead, I offer this:

http://www.coasttocoastam.com/timages/page/pumpkin_sim.html

My Life In Pictures

My entire life has been captured in pictures.  My father has been diligent in ensuring that we have photographic records of all trips, events, daily living activities, and gatherings.  Today was no exception.

As I was recovering today after surgery, Homestead Mama and my dad brought the kids to visit.  We dutifully lined up for pictures.  They have been emailed off to the relatives already.  My family is a little nuts, but in a good way.

Job Security

Hpomestead Mama and my dad brought the kids by to visit me - they were in the hospital already getting Pequita's 2-yr lesd level checked. The kids reeked - both had full poopy diapers. H-mama forgot to bring the diaper bag when ashe left the house. I cracked up, causing serious pain. I suggested that she beg pediatrics for some, as they are righrt down the hall. They took pity on her. I have never forgotten the b ag.

The kids did charm the hell out of the nurses, even with the stench wafting after them.

Pardon the spelling. Pain meds are definitely pon board!
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Still alive

My gall bladder was chock full of stones, said the surgeon. I survived. More later.
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Maybe hospital johnnies are made of cashmere now?

My mom is driving me to the hospital right now for my 25th general anesthesia. Damned gall bladder. What I wouldn't give to be back in bed torquing my back to let Monito side-lie nurse so we all get another hour of rest.

I do surgery well. I know the routines. However, I am awash with PTSD when I have surgeries. I taste all the meds in my IV and anti-nausea patch.

Mostly I just hate waking up afterwards.

Gotta go feel nauseated - the anesthesiologist is heading my way. I've never. Blopgged in a paper johnnie in pre-op before. I guess I like my blackberry.
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Mommy has a Grumpy Day

Pequita's 2 year checkup was on Friday morning at 9:15. My car needed a new muffler, and we had a 10:30ish appt for that. I was having an off day - hormones? Fatigue? Who knows. I have long been irritated with the office, as we have been made to wait an average of 90 minutes at our pediatrician's office for what constitutes a 10 minute checkup. This has bothered me intensely; trying to keep 2 rambunctious babies happy and entertained in a small room with no toys for upwards of an hour is not easy. I tried kindly mentioning this up the chain of management to no avail. I started bringing my own suitcase of amusements, as well as leaving the exam door open so the kids could roam around the halls a bit hoping this would make it harder to forget about us (and hopefully annoy the nurses into dealing with us). For the past few visits, if we were made to wait more than 20 minutes with no one coming to see us I strolled both kids down the hall - one of them in diaper only in anticipation of an exam - to where the nurses were clustered chatting and asked how much longer it would be. This past Friday I stood for 9 long minutes just for the receptionists to get off the phone to take my name and tell me to sit down. I was still sitting in the lobby 45 minutes after our appt was to have begun, and I snapped. I collected my kids and strode to the reception desk, interrupted their phone conversations to tell them that our time was valuable and we couldn't wait any longer. Driving to the garage, I snagged a 3pm appt with a competing pediatrician who was highly recommended and had an opening. We had a lovely day walking around town in the fall sun while my car was fixed and still got Pequita her checkup and flu shot that day. We waited 3 minutes before seeing the 2nd doc, he was lovely, AND there was a huge box of toys in the exam room. I couldn't transfer the kids records fast enough.

Pequita's stats:
33 lbs puts her in the 99th percentile for weight. 35.5" long is the 90th percentile for weight. No wonder she is wearing mostly size 3 toddler clothes!

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Gymnastics

Happiness is...sitting on the sidelines while H-mama and Hottie Friend do gymnastics with the kids. Knitting! By myself! This is a prototype hat, but if it pans out it will be winging its way across the Atlantic for a very Foxy baby soon.
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Hmm.

"The perfect is the enemy of the good."

Voltaire


Time to get up off my perfectionism and JUST DO IT.

Pequita Turns Two

My beautiful daughter is two. I am amazed. This means that we started trying to have a baby SIX years ago. Just look at her!

Treetops

I haven't been to our local nature center for a few years. It all seemed too old for my kids. Today, in a fit of not knowing what to do with us all, we went there. It sports a live animal display inside, as well as many skeletons and stuffed [eeeew] native animals. BORING. In the acreage behind the building, there is a butterfly house, a raptor cage and a 6-story tree house built by, I think, Bob Leathers. SIX stories of climbable tree house. Whatever made me think this wasn't right for a two year old?

The approach.
Climbing the ladders.In the attic six flights above the forest floor.
We all loved it. We will, I suspect, go there at least once a week through the winter in all but the coldest of times. It is relatively safe, and the babes can only fall 6-8 feet instead of the possible 6 stories. The stairs loop around all over, and there are ladders to each floor and some secret locations as well. It is all open to the outside but has 1" mesh screen cladding all exterior sides.



On the way home, we stopped at the consignment store and spent a few dollars on this very special chair. Oh, happy day. While it is ostensibly for both kids to share, Pequita didn't remove her heiny from it for almost an hour of dinner and Sesame Street musical DVD. She has found her cozy spot, and it is set for the winter. I guess I'm in the market for a wing back chair for Monito. Sigh.

A Week in Pictures

We've been busy enjoying autumn. I realized that the Facebook status updates *feel* like I've blogged, which is bad, since I haven't.

I have, so far, 12 half-pint jars of ground cherry jam on the shelf. Homestead Mama made 10 pints of tomatilla salsa and it too is in jars. We have a half bushel of apples & pears to turn into applesauce, and a few gallons of Concord grape juice to turn into jelly and juice. Every night after the kids go to bed we get a little more food canned. It is delightful.

We've been to pick elderberries at our friend Noona's house [at least that's what the kids call her]. She grew pumpkins, and that is so very exciting! I burned the elderberries when trying to reduce the juice, so no jelly.

We went apple picking to get our applesauce supplies, and found blackberry bushes there too.
We have had a pumpkin carving binge, and sit on the front porch with popcorn most nights and watch the jack-o-lanterns glow and sing pumpkin songs. The kids like to wave good night to them from the nursery window before bed.

And this morning? I woke up to a toasty house and the stove on for the first time this season. Bliss.

My 1-month post-LEEP cervix check went well. The doc has never seen a cervix bounce back this fast, and it looks super. Great, I say. If I have to be a star in some way, why NOT a super hero cervix?

We are off now to get our farm share and gather all the green tomatoes and the last of the ground cherries since frost is wreaking havoc with the crops. Then to find more canning jars, as I've run out.

Retail Therapy

I left H-Mama an hour ago to go buy more quart jars in which to put the pear/applesauce I'll be making after our jaunt to the u-pick orchard this morning. I was waiting in the checkout lane when I noticed that my best pair of jeans, already 3 years old and a little frayed, were now covered in blackberry stains. (More about that when I get my pics downloaded). I darted into Talbots on my way home and let the nicest women in retail - seriously, it is the only clothing store that has cheerful employees - bring me many pairs of pants in my size while I waited in the dressing room. I walked out 40 minutes later with 4 new pairs of pants that fit me fabulously. Or will after I hem them, as my ass:height ratio is a bit off these days. I bought corduroy, people - I haven't done that in decades. I always feel like a million bucks in my nice preppy Talbots clothes. Now I'm heading back to poop-covered reality, refreshed and better dressed.
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Out

The day was cool and sunny, the kids were happy to be out in the sun; we hit their favorite state park and hiked (at a rate of about 1 mile per week) and played in a waterfall. They fell asleep fairly early at 11 am, and I let them wake up in a pumpkin patch, which precipitated much squealing and exclamations of awe. We bought 6 pumpkins in various sizes to carve. Clearly *I* love Halloween.

I'm now driving away from my house to go out with friends - !! It will be an early night, but still - I have mascara on, for goodness sakes.

Another Damn Site to Check

Ok.  I'm on Facebook.  Addictive, but really quite nice.  I'm already back in contact with a bevy of folks I really loved decades ago and haven't talked to in years.