Cruisin'

Every so often, B or one of our friends will mention, "Maybe we should go on a cruise."

I'd love a nice vacation where everything is included & someone else cooks & cleans. Going to exotic places sounds exciting... sometimes.

A big boat & lots of water, well, that scares me!

I do not like being out of sight of land. I realize land could be several miles away & being a weak swimmer, I'd never even make it to shore anyway, but there would be a comforting hope in my mind that would calm me, even as I was drowning or being eaten by a shark.

I'm blogging because Dateline is airing a show, recounting the events of a cruise ship (and its crew's abandonment) off the southern tip of Africa, which sank in stormy seas, several years ago.

BTW, nothing else worthwhile to watch on TV tonight except the Oscars.

Viewing this TV magazine's story became very unnerving for me. It has strengthened my resolve to never get aboard a cruise ship! Sorry... to the people who thought they may wear me down & enjoy a cruise w/me. Not gonna happen!!

Off to watch the Oscars now.

I have yet to see ANY of the nominated movies (except Toy Story 3) so I have NO FAVORITES!

Good night.

Zee & zhu-zhu, Jilly

The air compressor & belt for the A/C on my car froze up, making my engine unable to start this morning. I knew it was going, they told me 3 weeks ago when I began to hear noises. I was hoping it would last until we got our tax refund next month. I would never have guessed that it is necessary for the A/C compressor to be working for the engine to run. So, it has been towed to the garage. I hope they get it fixed by the end of the day. I hate being w/o a vehicle. We are getting our moneys worth from our AAA membership fees this year!

So, what do I do on this unexpected (and actually, unwanted) day off? Yeah, the normal stuff like laundry or dishes, but I feel my cats will be spoiled the whole day, as this video of them with a ZhuZhu hamster named Jilly, shows.

Zee, as I enter this blog, is still playing with Jilly. She carries her in to me after she "kills" it & I bring it back to life, so she can kill it again. I may get bored with this game soon. Maybe I'll clean out my craft closet.

School Vakay

Today, after a few errands (T, the computer is in the mail, expect it Thu or Fri), we picked up C @ college & went to Chuck E Cheeses! Yes, it's still expensive, but it's a place, where a kid can be a kid, right? At least they can be kids for 2.5 hrs! (That's all C & myself could handle!)

This Chuck E. had an "all you can eat" salad bar so we filled the kids up on fresh veggies & fruits in addition to pizza, chicken wings & fries.

Kaya saw a robotic Chuck E and after a bit, she was not afraid of it. Until... a costumed one came out to be with the birthday party groups.

Oh no!

This did not sit well with Kaya!

C & I were on the lookout duty the remaining time so we could protect Kaya from him.

She understood it was just a person in a costume, but he still frightened her.

A cute thing about Kaya today (besides being scared of Chuck E.)... she went to the prize case to see what trinkets she could get if she earned enough tickets playing the games. She saw a silver plastic necklace w/a blue plastic crystal.

"Ooooh, Miss Jen, THAT is what I want! It is so beautiful!"

It would cost 100 tickets to get this piece of "jewelry".

Not a huge amount, but Kaya has never won more than 54 tickets!

To her rescue... her brothers & C.

They went to the games that gave you chances to win huge ticket bonuses.

BTW, the boys have been saving quarters since the last time we went to Chuck E. so the money they spent on the games was theirs. It's much harder to share your own money, but they did!

I'm so proud of them!

The boys won enough tickets to get goodies they wanted then... MADE KAYAS DAY by presenting her with enough tickets for that beautiful necklace AND a purple gem one too!

It was nice to have 3 well behaved, polite & generous kids for the day (4, if you count C!). When I left their house on Friday afternoon, the oldest child was in the midst of a huge behavior & lack of respect for others "breakdown". It was not a happy place for me to be. I admit, I was nervous about returning there today. He has apologized to me & assured me he would not be acting in such a manner in the near future. He was awesome today!

Tomorrow's activity? ... a nice relaxing day at home! Sledding, crafts & a dinosaur lunch!

Thursday? ... more sledding & some bowling!

Friday? ...SNOW! so we'll probably be sledding again!

Sixty Degrees of Warmth

Catch me, if you can!

I wonder if I could jump this snow bank?

Steady.

FEARLESS!

She does a belly flop onto the tube, doesn't hold onto the handles & wiggles her body the whole way down, ending up upside down on the tube at the end of the ramp.

It hit 60 degrees yesterday. The snow cover was so wet & slushy. Kaya used the snow ramp I made to slide down on the tube. The boys dragged out their scooters and enjoyed the weather... until their feet got cold from sloshing through the puddles on the driveway.

Next week is school vacation. I hope we can get at least 1 day where they can play outside for most of it. That would be sooo nice!

A Visit with Evergreen

On February 14, 2011, I went with T, M and Carlotta as well as Gramma Fisher, to visit w/Evergreen. I have been to her graveside 3 times and each time, it has been super windy!

I'm thinking of giving her a new nickname!

A kitty came to pay her respects too. I like to think that Blackie (Zee's sister, she passed away this summer) sent her to the cemetery to let us know Evergreen loves having a kitty in heaven to care for & play with. Remember Blackie, no scratching allowed!

Her VA grandmother takes very good care of the site and the surrounding sites as well. She gave this butterfly to Evergreen for her birthday. Very sweet.

Is Carlotta doing the silent "twin communication" thing with her sister?

Perhaps.

As the veil & what is on the other side becomes less transparent to Carlotta,

moments like this will be rare.

I love & miss you Evergreen.

Birthday Party

This child uses all her limbs to help her get things done! Here she is using her foot to help unwrap a birthday gift with her 4 yr old cousin, Macy.

Her Gramma Fisher got her the crown & I got her the matching shirt. She dislikes having anything on her head.

Here is the family after all the presents had been opened and Carlotta had her "over stimulated" breakdown. The egg rattle from the musical instrument set I gave her was very interesting to her.

Her official "birthday suit"! The matching crown would be added on later @ her party.

T made a butterfly shaped pink cake & white, heart-shaped cupcakes.

I have more birthday photos on FB!

I have never heard the Happy Birthday song sung so loud & in tune.

Carlotta seemed to sorta enjoy it.

Another Recipe We Like

Ok, I made this new semi-homemade recipe last night & tried it. We liked it. There were plenty of leftovers, being that it's just the 2 of us, so it was our dinner tonight too! I liked the dish much better tonight. The flavors needed more time to mix & do the things that they do to make stuff taste better.

Enhanced Mac & Cheese (serves 6)

• Cook the macaroni from a box of Mac & Cheese (7.25 oz) according to directions on the box.
• Drain the macaroni & set aside.
• Set the cheese powder packet aside.
• MEANWHILE, in a large skillet, cook 1 lb. of ground beef, 2 T chopped green pepper & 3 T chopped onion until meat is brown & veggies are soft.
• DRAIN.
• Add to the meat & veggies: 1 can (10.75 oz) of condensed (undiluted) tomato soup, 2 T water, 2 T ketchup, 2 tsp yellow mustard, 1 tsp seasoned salt, 1 tsp chili powder, 1/2 tsp dried oregano and 1/4 tsp ground cumin.
• Bring to a boil, reduce heat & simmer (uncovered) for 4 minutes.
• Stir in the cooked macaroni.
• Add: 1 cup frozen corn and 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese. Also, 1/4 cup butter (diced), 1/4 cup of milk and the packet of cheese powder.
• Cook over medium heat until heated all the way through.

I added a dollop of sour cream to my serving & found it very tasty.

All in all, this recipe took about 30-40 minutes to make, from start to finish.

At Red Robin... yum!

On Saturday, I brought T & Carlotta out shopping. For lunch, I treated them to Red Robins where I ordered a hamburger on rye and T got clam chowder & a salad. Eating NE style clam chowder in western VA? She said it was tasty. I'll have to take her word on that one!

Carlotta had herself a grilled cheese sandwich, cut up into tiny pieces

(she has only 2 teeth though swollen gums on the top mean more teeth coming soon).

I loved watching her enjoy eating!

I think Carlotta should be eating (not so many bottles) more baby food and soft, grownup food and more often. T says her doctor is telling her "NO, wait".

What do I know? Helping care for my 5 younger siblings, several nieces & nephews, raising 2 daughters and currently caring for 3 kids does not make me qualified to offer up opinions about what babies need to grow. Only a medical degree convinces T.

I love her anyway. My grand baby is loved, she's not starving or malnourished, just tiny.

I enjoyed very much, the mornings where I was able to feed her breakfast, using a spoon! Carlotta is a fun baby who loves to laugh & make others laugh too! We had great conversations, though she was the only one understanding the language! She is crawling everywhere & pulling herself up to a stand, using the furniture. Getting down from a standing position is fun to watch. Plop! She hardly ever cries, but watch out... she CAN cry when she wants to do so!

I'll post more photos & details from my trip tomorrow. I have some photos on FB, if you want to see more of Carlotta!

Birthday #1 ... A Visit from Nonie!

I got to T & M's apartment about 1-2 pm on Friday. T was babysitting Carlottas 7 week old cousin for the day. Carlotta is a tiny one year old, but sitting side by side next to her cousin, she looked GIGANTIC!

That evening, T & M went out to dinner for their Valentines Day celebration which meant I got to watch Carlotta for the evening! I was told she would sleep through most of the time. NOPE! She would have NONE of that! So, she & I played w/toys, watched Go, Diego, Go and read a few books. I also turned on the vacuum to pick up "stuff" on the floor that I didn't want her to choke on. I forgot T once told me she was scared of the vacuum! I held her in my left arm as I vacuumed. She held onto me so tightly, I could've used both of my arms to vacuum.

I was so excited to see & be with Carlotta, I didn't capture any moments of Day #1 on film! Argh!

The videos below are from Day #2, pretty early in the day, as we prepared to go birthday shopping! Carlotta has an extensive shoe collection (following in her Auntie C's footsteps!) but prefers to be barefoot. She plays w/her shoes as though they were toys.

What did we get for her birthday? A waffle iron, a new, sturdy kitchen table, a musical instrument set (very noisy! heh heh!), a crawl-thru tunnel (which scares her), some clothes (including a "1" onesie & tutu to wear @ her party), a whale water spout protector (for the tub), socks, mylar balloons (for her party) and... well, lots of other stuff too! You'll be able to see many of these things in future pictures or videos that I will post, eventually.

I wish I was a faster typer but I am tired after my trip & 1st day back to watch the kids, so this is all you get today! My FB page has a few photos on it too. Very few.

A Year! It Flew By Too Fast!

Carlotta has grown so much in a year!

Baby Evergreen & Carlotta. So precious!

A year ago, B & I loaded up his truck with a crib & other things for T & M's unborn baby girls & drove the 800 miles (one-way) to VA. We wanted to help them be as prepared as possible before the due date in April. Our employment & income meant we could only spend the weekend. We set up furniture, went baby supply shopping and even took in dinner & a movie. A nice time.

Little did we know we would receive the phone call, in the wee morning hours of the day we were planning on returning to NH, that T was into early labor.

**Those who read my blog on a regular basis, know the birth story of Carlotta & Evergreen (my Valentines Day granddaughters) you may insert your own memories *here* of what happened during the next 10 days. **

Now a year has passed. A very fast year!

I'm packing my carry-on bag to bring on my flight to VA tomorrow. I will be celebrating, over the weekend with T & M, the too short earth life of Evergreen (her eternal life goes on) as well as Carlottas 1st birthday!

Krista & her family, gave me the best Christmas gift in the form of airline tickets & time off so I wouldn't miss this wonderful, blessed event! THANK-YOU!

I'm sooo excited!

T just called me to let me know I will be babysitting tomorrow night!

She & M are going out on a date, w/o Carlotta!

YIPPEE! I hope she won't be "strange" around me!

Fingers crossed & toes too... as well as several silent prayers said, in hopes that T .....

nope, not going to say too much right now. I do not wish to jinx anything!

But Good Luck T!

Cabin Fever

With bone chilling temperatures these past few days, inside the house was the warmest place to be for the kids. And cats. Neither of their cats will venture outdoors!

Lightning (above) decided to play with Kayas princess collection and when she tired of doing so, plopped down, for a nice nap!

BTW, Lightning, or Lights as she is sometimes called, is Gracies sister & also Zees mother.

Where Do Babies Come From?

I'm not sure where these kids get their ideas about what to discuss at lunch but lately, the 2 youngest kids have been having discussions about where babies come from & what happens to a woman's body as the baby grows inside her

(BTW, I observe only! After all, teaching them such a topic is not in my job description! LOL!)

and how a baby gets in & out of a woman's body.

Colin tells Kaya that the Dad has to put the baby there. Thankfully, no mention on just how the daddy gets this done! She keeps asking if it hurts, the whole process, because if it does...

"I'm NOT growing a baby!"

Colin has told her when a baby is done growing, it comes out of the mommy's body through her bellybutton!

Oddly, this makes sense to Kaya.

Today, it dawned on Kaya that as a baby is growing in a mommy's body,

it is growing... while NAKED!

Brings back a cute memory of T. One day, I asked her if she knew what the difference was between a boy & a girl, you know, what makes a boy a boy and what makes a girl a girl.

Her answer?

"Boys have short hair on their heads, girls have long hair."

Roopahder & Pops

Some fun words my kids made up as they learned the English language. C ordered "roopahder" instead of root beer @ a restaurant while T wanted "pops" with syrup most mornings. "Pops"... because that was the sound the toaster made when her Eggo waffles were done.

I have blogged in previous post on Kayas cute words that she puts out there and so I continue with todays post.

"Choke-ah-cahdo"

She has recently discovered she likes avocados as well as fresh, steamed artichokes w/butter. They both start w/an A, they are both green and they are both yummy! So she calls both of them,

choke-ah-cahdo!

Another food she likes is spinach. She calls it, wait for it... spinach. Ha!

She calls another of her new foods, "apple sprouts". This small green vegetable, which I love too, is... Brussels sprouts! She loves them!

Says they remind her of broccoli, which she has eaten with Ranch dressing, since she was a baby! Steamed broccoli was preferred over carrots or peas.

I leave for VA on Friday morning to visit T & M as well as celebrating Carlottas 1st birthday! I wonder what funny words she will say as she begins to talk more this year. I hope T stays on top of Carlottas language development. Speech therapy did wonders for C! It's hard to get her to stop talking now! LOL, C!

On a Wintery Day... a bit of Sunshine!

As many of you realize, we're in the midst of a 48 hour snow storm, expected accumulation... 20+ inches! I went in to watch the kids, but both parents came home after school was FINALLY dismissed early. The ride home wasn't too bad, though it's still early in the storm.

Here is a video we took for C, to cheer her up @ college, on this stormy day! Enjoy!