Grandma's Kitchen Table

Thursday's Favorites Fare

Basil loving his new home in the yard...love love love fresh basil.

READING:   I know you all think I am going to write that I am reading some piece of literature or historical fare here, but you guessed wrong this week.  Here is what I am reading:  all those little instruction booklets that accompany the products we have purchased over the past few years.  Seriously.  I have all these appliances, etc. that I just removed from their packaging, plugged them in, and started using...I figured it was time to pull out all the little booklets and read what else these things can do (for instance, my iron has a button named "auto clean" on it and I have no idea what that is supposed to do...I will let you know when I get to that booklet).  It all started with Matt giving me his old Motorola RAZR phone when he got his new iPhone...I know how to make a call on it and that is pretty much it, so for those of you who have left messages for me, know right now that I have not a clue how to get those off of there at this point.  (You all know about me and the phone anyway, so you are probably not surprised or had any real hope that I was going to do anything more than what was absolutely necessary in regards to all of that...don't give up on me...I am working up to it.)

LISTENING TO:   Spanish I tapes...a little of this goes a long way.

COOKING THROUGH:   Crockpot recipes...I am TRYING to arrive at healthy versions of all these crazy crockpot recipes...what is it with these anyway:  do they have some sort of tie-in contract with the cream of whatever soup companies?  I was thinking that being able to roast a chicken in the crockpot would be a good thing because of the new and different swim practice times ending with us arriving home by 6:00 p.m. each evening (wow, who knew that would ever happen?) and I was thinking that if I could somehow manage to cook with that crockpot it would simplify matters in getting dinner on the table at the very early hour of 6:30 (I am not even sure we would know what to do with a 6:30 p.m. dinner hour, but I am willing to try and find out to free up the rest of the evening).  ANYWAY, all these recipes seem to think you need to add copious amounts of fats...cream of whatever soup, sour cream, lots of cheese or milk or cream, etc. and I am not interested in any of that.  I have the roast chicken figured out and that was really moist and good and did not contain anything but chicken, spices, and a little bit of water or broth.  I have a few that require tomatoes and or tomato juice that fit what I am looking for.  I need more options...this family will not be happy with chicken and tomato based dishes forever.  (Please, if you have some nice healthy versions, Email me your suggestions or recipes...we will be forever grateful!  Healthy versions only with no fake ingredients.)

FAV NEW FIND:   Today is the launching of the Big Ten Network...mostly sports I hear tell, which I am thinking is a fine thing (more reality shows, based on say dorm life or whatever, we do not need)...however, the cable stations have yet to reach an agreement, so will not be available to cable subscribers just yet.  Those lucky satellite subscribers, however should be sitting fine in time for the basketball season openers.

FAV THING TODAY;   Starting the holiday early...Blue Bernice talked me into it.  Guys are on their own here for a few days...I can't wait to see the finished men den!

SCRAPBOOK PAGES THIS WEEK;   Six.

GOING TO:  Am going to post this and then shut down Clarice for the holiday...see you back here on Tuesday!

PRAYING FOR:   Safety and well-being for all the holiday travelers this week, please join me. 

Beginning Spanish

El desayuno perfecto: El melocotón frescamente cortado, las frambuesas, y un par de cucharones del yogur. ¡No puede conseguir mejor que esto!   (The perfect breakfast:  freshly sliced peach, raspberries, and a couple of tablespoons of yogurt.  It can't get much better than this!)

Oh, these peaches are wonderful...this time of year they are so sweet and juicy you can almost just see and smell them and you feel like you have already eaten them!  The boys are taking Spanish at school this year and since Spanish is not one of those languages I ever thought about taking, I decided I would try to learn a little along with them...so, I am embarking upon Beginning Spanish...surely that will come in useful at some point (if nothing else, to know what they are saying around here might be nice).

       Lots to do this week, and best of all, a three day holiday coming up with Labor Day...Blue Bernice and I are always very excited about holidays. 

      Mark and Alex took in the Rush concert last night.  Mark's version:  "It was very long and very loud.  But, Alex had a great time!"  Alex's version:  "It was fantastic!  Really great!  I loved it all."  More praise I cannot think there could be from a 14 year old. 

      Matt is back at choir and just loving seeing all his old friends from CA (three years worth) at IYC since a majority of them were older and had moved up to IYC in the last year or two.  They had a retreat all day Saturday and then a regular rehearsal yesterday and he just loved seeing everyone again.  There are about 90 singers in this choir and when I looked at the list, I knew probably three quarters of them, so that will be a lot of fun this year for us, too. 

      Okay, I have a full day, so I am outta here...have a good one and remember to do something special for someone today for no apparent reason whatsoever! 

End of the Innocence

Spaghetti Carbonara, aka around here as "the cholesterol poster child's nightmare," has been relegated to Sunday brunch "once in awhile."  This is a Carbonara-loving household as far as the men in this family go, and while everyone could pretty much throw caution to the wind in their younger years, I am thinking that Matt is the only one engaging in enough physical exercise on a regular basis to justify eating it more than once a month...heretofore Alex championed it for dinner at least once a week.  It is now the end of the innocence concerning the virtues of Carbonara as a nutritionally sound dinner offering once a week or so. You can see from the photo Alex was a very happy camper around here late this morning...and that was only his first of two servings. 

      Mark first stumbled upon Spaghetti Carbonara when reading Calvin Trillin, back early in our marriage and has eagerly suggested it at least twice a month ever since then.  Trillin has been leading a campaign to establish this dish as the national Thanksgiving fare, replacing the turkey, or maybe in addition to it, for years and years, his premise being that if Columbus discovered America and they first set foot on land, the first meal would have been, according to Trillin, something like Carbonara as the Italians would have had dried pasta, smoked bacon or ham, Parmesan cheese, garlic, and eggs on hand.  He may be right.  At any rate, each Thanksgiving eve, as a salute to this campaign, we serve Carbonara here at the Gerth house.  It's a tradition.  I tried to make a case for maybe it being once or twice a year like a big turkey dinner, but that went over like the proverbial lead balloon.  Smaller plates/helpings perhaps?  Also a losing vote.  Lightening it up with some low fat products?  They would be on to me in an instant with that and I couldn't bear to see the disappointed look on their faces.  I guess it will just remain one of those guilty pleasures that come with the end of innocence...however, I am sticking to the twice a month offering...some things a wife/mom just needs to take control of at some point.  And, if you have not read any of Calvin Trillin's books, get thee to a library or bookstore soon and have at it...he is a great read...New York humor from a transplanted Kansas native...if you want to read about his Carbonara campaign, start with The Tummy Trilogy:  American Fried/Alice, Let's Eat/Third Helpings.  And now, Mark brought home an old movie favorite of ours, Hitchcock's The Trouble With Harry, so we are going to enjoy a couple of hours of peace and quiet while the boys are out of the house and otherwise engaged.  I highly recommend it.

College Life: Amidst the Fray at Times

College bound in 1973...oh, my goodness...that really was a long time ago!   

It hardly seems possible with all the students going off to college that it was 34 years ago this week that I was doing the same thing...where did all that time go so quickly?  I was looking back at my journal from those days and realized that the 1973 calendar and the 2007 calendar match day for day...seems strange.  34 years ago tonight was my first weekend night at college...I went, of all places, to a bar with some of the girls from my floor...18 being the legal drinking age in Iowa at the time.  I know, you are all shocked...so unlike me to go to a bar...I had something called a Singapore Sling...goodness even knows what that was...and we all had a nice time dancing with various college guys.  Half-way through the evening, I met a boy who liked to talk more than dance, which was fine with me as he was very nice, had lovely blue eyes, a beautiful bob of blonde hair, was fun, and probably most important to me, was smart...so no more drinking and dancing...the talking was nicer, and that pretty much set the tone for my college days...I realized one did not need to drink a lot at a bar to have a good time on a weekend evening in college.  It has stood me well and I never again spent a weekend night at a bar where people were drinking too much.  Oh, what a lot of life has transpired through all these years.  It's amazing to me to think how young we were (and how mature we thought we were at the time).  I've watched these kids grow up over the years and now am watching them heading off to college...it doesn't seem possible that they are old enough to do so.  I hope the girls meet that blue eyed blonde boy who liked to dance a little, chat mostly, and drink not much at all.  Those girls will be lucky and focus on what is truly important through the years.  I hope the boys are those who like to dance a little, chat mostly, and drink not much at all.  Most of all, I wish I could protect them from all of life's little ups and downs...but that isn't the way it works...some things one just needs to experience for oneself.  It's fun looking back, but it is also nice being right here right now.  Best wishes, all my college bound friends...I'll be thinking of you and eager to see you when you are home visiting...make it soon, okay?   

An Ending to a Great Love Affair

The evidence (or lack thereof).

Mark's great love of all things "chip" may be nearing an end.  The great love affair may be over.  Sad to say, but he is finally admitting that old college habits may be taking their toll. For the past 30 years he has been trying to convince me that potato chips are in the vegetable food group and necessary for one's health and well-being.  (Alex is happily carrying on the tradition, much to my dismay.)  At MNO recently we were chatting about the difference between going to the grocery store ourselves or having the husband run by for a quick item or two.  That progressed into the ONE thing husbands always bring home that was NOT on said grocery list.  There were a lot of differing answers which were fun to hear.  Anyone who knows Mark would be able to answer in an instant:  Mark brings home potato chips and almost always more than one bag or type or flavor because they all "look too good to choose just one bag."  His weakness at the store is anything in the chip aisle.

     I returned home after the Guerin run to find a little tent note on the kitchen counter, "I am not feeling well and am sleeping in until 8:00," it read.  Hmmm...thought maybe the cold had gotten hold of him also.  I went about my day and gave him a quick call later at the office, "Hi, how are you feeling?"  "Oh, I am just fine," he replied.  I inquired, "Do you think you have what I had?"  His reply:  "Not unless you ate half a bag of potato chips while watching TV before you went to bed last night."  I just laughed...poor guy, no sympathy here...he was ill from eating too many potato chips!  Sometimes men are just like little kids...gotta love that about them, don't you?  Being 55 ain't easy...some things you just have to call it a day on...eating a half a bag of potato chips right before bed is probably high on the list.  Ah, those youthful carefree days...where have they gone?

Beginning of a New Year: Happy Birthday, Ali!

Happy Birthday, Miss Ali!

Matt and Ali after swim practice this evening (no the flowers are not from Matt, but the card and what's inside it are).  What a fine day to have a birthday.  I cannot think of a more beautiful person, both inside and outside, than you, Ali.  Happy Birthday to one of my favorite teens!

Thursday's Favorites Fare

No fancy fare...the boys will devour these in one or two sittings...I have learned that teenage boys are ravenous all the time and making fancy muffins and cookies are a waste of good time and effort, two bites and they are gone!   

READING:   The Big Oyster by Mark Kurlansky (Oh, this is a fun book...even if you don't like my choice of historical fare most of the time, this one is fun!  It's all about the demise of the oyster beds in New York and if you tire easily of this, there are other bits in there to keep you going.  A very quick read and you will learn lots about New York City's history...well, okay, at least I thought it was fun.  It's up for borrowing if you want to take a chance....)

LISTENING TO:   Well, I was feeling a little deprived as Aimee got to go see Bryan Adams and George Thoroughgood when they were in town...Poison was in town two days ago...and the symphony season doesn't really get underway quite yet...so I am listening to Bryan, George, and Poison because I didn't get to actually see any of them.  I know...I have to grow up soon, what can I say?

COOKING THROUGH:   Cooking up a storm, as they say, today.  We are back in swimming with a new schedule, so prep all has to be done before 2:45 so that when I return at 6:00, everything can go together smoothly.  No one here will eat leftovers no matter how cleverly I try to disguise them, no one will eat casseroles, and no one will touch anything with "cream of" whatever soup as an ingredient.  Everything pretty much has to be from scratch and fresh, so the slicing and dicing bit I get to do before I leave and the cooking and assembly afterward.   Did get breakfast muffins made, the cookie jar filled, and a pasta salad ready.  I consider turning on the oven on a hot day like this beyond the call of duty, but it felt really good to be cooking again after pretty much just assembling while I was down with the cold.

FAV NEW FIND:  Glad Steam Bags...feeling a little guilty as it is more plastic waste, but these make it easy to send in lunch bags so they can microwave them at school.

FAV THING TODAY;   Definitely that this cold has finally done its worst and I am almost over it!

SCRAPBOOK PAGES THIS WEEK;   Scrapbooking, what is that?  Just kidding...don't give up on me...new routines are difficult to adjust to in the beginning.

GOING TO:  Paint the lower level family room and bathroom this weekend...the Men's Den...they are desirous of something new and different.  Hmmmm...I may need to be a little afraid here as we are not a particularly gifted family when it comes to redoing a room or two. 

PRAYING FOR:   Safety and well-being for all the college students headed back to school this week, please join me. 

Fair to Middling

I don't think any of this really helps...well, the NyQuil does make you sleep...not my favorite first option on a fine summer weekend, but not bad when your main activities on the fine summer weekend consist of coughing and sniffling. 

Well, the weekend went nothing like planned!  (As my husband says, "It's important to have a plan...so we can change it.")  I want to thank Aimee for very generously sharing her yucky cold with me...who gets a cold in August for goodness sakes???  After sharing said cold, and completely recovered herself, Aimee left town for a fun filled weekend in Minneapolis, leaving me behind sniffling, sneezing, coughing, and pretty much good for absolutely nothing all weekend.  The bright side of this is that now Aimee and I have had a run at this early in the season, so we should be good to go for the rest of the year...at least that is the hope.  A little of this goes a long way.  (I still love you, Aimee...friends are for sharing things together!)

    No football games or parties for me this weekend...no apple pie for Mark...but I did manage to get all the laundry done and everyone squared away for the upcoming week.  One of the cute bits over the weekend was that we needed to shop for a birthday gift for Annika's fourth birthday party.  The task fell to Mark and Alex, neither having a clue in the world how to shop for "girls!"  Needing some suggestions, sister Olivia thought Annika might like a Barbie or a Polly Pocket (this is a 50/50 chance at best as Olivia is 9, so this could be what Olivia really wanted and have nothing whatsoever to do with what Annika might like).  They headed off to Target and the "girl aisle" of the toy department...Mark said Alex took one look and said, "Too much pink for me, Dad, you are on your own here," and headed off for electronics.  Mark is definitely not at home with girl things...he grew up with four brothers and one sister who was not much into pink and dolls.  Being a father of sons, he has had no experience in pink aisles whatsoever and was totally unprepared for the amount of pink there is to choose from in the "girl aisle."  (I would have given a lot just to see this sight actually.)  He decided to play it safe and get both a Barbie and a Polly Pocket.  I asked him which Barbie he chose and he said it was a Tahitian Princess because she had a very pink outfit (hmmm...I am thinking that the words Tahitian Princess and  thoughts of Gauguin's Tahitian artwork might have entered into the decision, but I kept mum about that and just chuckled to myself), and then he selected whichever Polly Pocket was first on the shelf.  Alex said Annika was very happy and loved them both, so I guess that was quite a success.  May have to send Mark shopping for pink things more often.  (And to be quite fair to Paul Gauguin, I do love his earlier Breton period and the Yellow Christ...the Tahitian period, while inspired and beautiful, doesn't draw me in like the earlier Breton pieces...but, then, I am not a guy.)

Thursday's Favorites Fare

My little grape tomatoes growing in a pot on the deck...lots and lots of them...we just pluck them off the vine and eat them in salads...oh, I love summertime produce!

READING:  1984 by George Orwell (Okay, we all read this in high school and breathed a sigh of relief that we hopefully would need never read any more of Orwell's satire, and if I were wittily satirical about it, I would say since he basically wrote 1984 on his deathbed, that perhaps that might just be what killed him...and thousands of other high school students' interest in reading any sort of "literature" ever again.)  I am reading it because Matt is reading it for English class and I figured I should refresh my memory of it all...and truthfully, am enjoying it a bit more now as an adult who has more insight into history, politics, machinations of history and politics, personal ideologies, etc.  That said, it isn't something I would have picked up by real choice this week.  Now I can say:  Been there, done that:  TWICE! 

LISTENING TO:   Okay, enough of the rock and roll boys of summer tunes and onto what's coming up with the symphony...always good to give a listen to what they are playing this season...if you can't make it, you will have heard it anyway and if you do make it, you can compare their performance to the one you listened to already.  What a deal!  BEETHOVEN: Piano Concerto No.4 in G Op.58 (Garrick Ohlsson, piano; Mario Venzago, conductor); Symphony No.4 in B Flat (Marin Alsop, conductor).

COOKING THROUGH:   Fresh stuff...I can feel the change coming on...soon my pots and pans will be rattling in the kitchen...right now we are grilling and chilling, and it can't get much simpler than that.  I did make brownies three times this week for these crazy chocolate lovers in this house.  May venture on to a pie later as Mark has been terribly busy this week and he loves apple pie...the mollies just coming in at the orchards.  Yes, I see a pie in the making by the weekend for certain...that will put his busy week all in proper perspective and make looking forward to the weekend that much sweeter.  All that from one apple pie!

FAV NEW FIND:   Just how much time is in a day when I am not homeschooling...who knew?

FAV THING TODAY;   Yearly check-ups for the boys...always fun to see how they have grown each year...A+ reports on both of them; Alex is five foot four inches tall and 116 pounds and Matt is six foot two and one half inches tall and 159 pounds.  Yep, they are growing alright!

SCRAPBOOK PAGES THIS WEEK;  None...hmmm...maybe I will be more productive once school starts...well, school started this week and I didn't get to it yet...yikes.

GOING TO:  Football games...can you believe it already???  Where did summer go?  Guerin plays on Friday nights, and the CHS Freshman team (some of the boys' friends play on this) play on Saturday mornings, IU doesn't start until the first week in September...there is no finer place to watch football than in Bloomington, Indiana...even in a building year! 

PRAYING FOR:   Safety and well-being for all the college students headed back to school this week, please join me. 

It's Beginning to Look Fine

Alex agreed to ONE photo of his first day of high school on the condition that it be taken nowhere near the high school, so here it is.  Posing for mom is not cool these days in the Cool Dude Manual, so I take what I can get when I can get it.  Apparently school was fine, classes were fine, friends were fine, teachers were fine, homework was fine, and lunch was fine.  I tried to get a few more details with this result:  "Well, what exactly do you want to know?"  Hmmm...details, I guess.  So, I learned the following:  his classes are fairly close together (which in a school of 4,000 or so, is a good thing), he has at least one friend that he knows in each class, only homework was AP World History which he completed within an hour, and lunch consisted of cheesy breadsticks, Flaming Hot Cheetoes, and Fruit Punch.  I won't comment on the lunch further, but you all know what I am thinking, I am sure.  So, other than that...you are all on your own to quiz the Cool Dude on whatever else you would like to know...good luck, maybe you will do better than I did as you are not a parental unit (aka The Enemy).  Just kidding around...well, maybe I am...sometimes I feel like I am and other times, it seems all too real.  It is, I keep telling myself over and over, important to keep a sense of humor these days. 

An Ending and a Beginning

Don't worry...I did not embarrass this young man on his first day of school by making him pose for photo ops in front of his fellow students...we went up early Friday morning when no one was around!  (Also a good time to take a photo of the front entrance of the school.)  There is no doubt in my mind that this locker will look like this for the entire year...Matt is a neat freak, and he was very happy to go up and get it all in place before the start of school today...that's how I got my photos!

While most people are sending their child off to school for the first time when the child is five, today was Matt's first day in a "building school," at age 15.   It was fairly traumatic for me...watching him go through the doors to Guerin, but I didn't let on in the least.  Not a tear in sight...until I drove down the drive and away, that is.  Of course, I am happy for him as he loved homeschooling, but I know he will love this also as he is growing up and moving on in his life, as it should be.  We had a really good run here at home and he said as much last night:  how much he loved it all and would not trade it for anything or done anything differently.  He said he would miss his homeschooling friends and activities, but some of them will be at Guerin with him, so it will seem familiar and fun in that regard.  It feels right and good so far...he even drove Blue Bernice to school this morning, very confident in both that and the day/year ahead.  Incredibly nice to see and feel a part of that.   As I pulled out of the school drive and headed home, I realized just how much I am going to be missing him being around each day...he and I have always motored about together with ease.  It will, however, be fun to see how he now goes out and starts to make his own world for himself.  I have no doubt he is up to the challenge and that he will handle it all beautifully with his faith first and foremost.  Still, I am very aware today of parting with familiar ways...change is never easy for me and I like to hold on to whatever I can for as long as I can as I try to find new places for old ways and make old places happy with new ways.

    And, where is said student this evening?  After a good day at Guerin, seeing old friends and meeting new ones, an hour's worth of homework after school, and no swim practice until next week...is he home resting?  No, he is not.  His ICHSA/FACES homeschool friends called to invite him to the Indianapolis Indians game this evening and he was out the door by 5:15 so we could meet Mark at the game as he was so happy that the homeschooling crowd was not going to forget about him now that he is going to Guerin.   No moss grows under that boy's feet.  I think we will both do just fine.

Too Late to Begin a Life of Crime

      Bloomington is still magical.  I just love being in Bloomington.  I toured around my old haunts and while things have changed, ofcoursetheyhave, in the last 30 years since I actually lived there full time, they are pretty much still the same.  It is so beautiful there...the scenery, the campus, the memories, the whole package.   It will be fun when Matt and Alex go there in four years...they really have no choice...this is an IU family after all.  (Just kidding...they both think IU would be a great place to go.  Caveat:  Matt is still thinking of maybe going to CIA in NYC, so we will see...that is so far away.)  The students weren't back yet at IU, so I had the place to myself and didn't have to think "Wow, they are sending babies to college these days!" (At least that is what they all look like in my advanced stage of age here.)   While we all stayed at The Farm I did manage to get to eat here, and that was very nice indeed. 

      As a JOKE, at MNO, we have a running bit that we moms, all very conservative and known for neverdoinganythingoutoftheordinaryorsteppingoveranysortoflines, have been laughing about "breaking out of our shells" and doing something really out of character.  Of course, this is just good fun and nothing serious, but I jokingly said, "You know, I think we should smoke some marjuana since none of us have ever done that before."  Gasp...and we all laughed and said, "Oh, sure, we can just see the headlines now, Catholic moms all arrested for..." not to mention, there wasn't a single one of us who actually knows how to get such a substance had we really been even remotely serious.  Like I said, it was just being goofy and funny to think any of us would ever do anything that would cause an eyebrow to raise even slightly.  When Katie and Bridget made the arrangements for the weekend, staying at the Farm and just holding our own little retreat there, I wrote back, "Well, sounds great, but I am afraid Mary Jane will not be able to attend any sort of gathering at the Farm."  We laughed.  When we gathered on Friday, Katie said, "I brought you all a little gift" and handed me a package to open...in it were Mary Jane and her friends (some of them in the photo here)...silly goofy humor, I know, but cute and fun and I laughed.  This Mary Jane is now residing in my day planner as a sort of reminder that that is as far as I can see me breaking out of my shell...ever.  If, however, you see us all in the news when we are in our 80's getting busted, you will all have had an inkling that it was a long time coming!  (Thank you Sarah, Meredith, and Rebecca for the lovely paper dolls...we all thought they were very cute and fun!)

      The last photo is Pippin guarding his dog treat...which he loves to do to tease Vash.  He will sit there for hours after Vash has devoured his teasing him that he, Pippin, still has a treat left and is not sharing.  They are a lot like children, aren't they?   I have known my two boys to act this way on occasion...something about establishing territorial rights, I believe.  I wasn't going to get attached to these dogs, you know...I carefully researched life spans when we selected the breed we wanted and my idea was that dogs and children would be exiting our premises about the same time, one for higher education, and the other for "higher grounds," as it were.  They have a way of working into your heart very quickly and easily however.  I'm hooked.  I guess if you are hooked on something, it might as well be these little guys.

Thursday's Favorites Fare

Alex's New Haircut!

READING:  Florence:  Art and HIstory  (Taking my time with it as it is the last of the books Mark brought back for me from Italy.)

LISTENING TO:   John Michael Talbott...well, it started with John Michael and now it has progressed to Mason Proffit, which was JMT before he was "JMT," back in the early 70's.  JMT is an Indiana boy and we first knew him when we worked on Tobit Weekends through Alverna, when he was just getting started as JMT and no longer part of Mason Proffit.  He was staying with the Franciscan monks at the time.  Long time ago.  Still, MP is worth a listen every now and again.  And, historically speaking, a good reminder of the before and after effects of Vietnam and how that affected life, and in this case, the Mason Proffit gang.  (Okay, I will stop now before I get on a roll as I know how patient you are all with me about that sort of thing...NOT.)

COOKING THROUGH:   Fresh stuff...you would think we would all be tired of it by now, but we aren't!

FAV NEW FIND:  Pomegranate juice...tons of uses for this, and in such a cute bottle. 

FAV THING TODAY;   Getting Alex registered for classes for high school.  He even got his hair cut for the occasion (photo ops for the year book today also).  His big kickoff event is tomorrow...students only, not parents...and am pretty sure they will not begin anything with a prayer, being a public school don'tyouknow.  It is time for him to be back in the halls on a daily basis...he needs a much larger arena within which to operate, if you get my drift.  Both he and I operate so much better with a little larger space in area and time these days...they say that teenage years make it so you can part with your child at the end of them and release them into adulthood, that you could never part with your child at age 10 or 11, so the angst of the teenage years helps that along a bit.  I did not have that vision a few years ago, but I am starting to think there might be something to that after all.

SCRAPBOOK PAGES THIS WEEK;  None...hmmm...maybe I will be more productive once school starts.

GOING TO:  Mom's Runaway Getaway Retreat...some time with girlfriends just to be silly, stay up late, and talk about whatever it is we want to without little ears around.  Located in one of my all-time favorite "escape from reality" places within 90 miles...Bloomington.  (When I first went to Bloomington to IU, I loved the fact that it was ALL MINE and that there were no ghosts of memories there.  It was something new and fresh and wonderful and I didn't share it with ANYONE. I didn't know a soul there and I loved the thought of that alone.   It was magical for me.  Something all my own.  All these years, I have loved that it was something just mine alone...this year, however, I learned it is "not so much my own"...I hope it still feels magical this weekend.  Ghosts, it turns out, are everywhere you are sure they are not.) 

PRAYING FOR:  A successful school year for our boys...please join me.

Middle of the Week -- Part 2

Okay, here is the missing view for those of you who know my front door well and were asking for a photo of that section because you want to be helpful...I have never known what to do with this area...uninspired chaos might describe it best actually.  Now that you have the missing view...any suggestions?   And, yes, I agree those yellow flowering things don't do much (in yesterday's photo)...Mark usually puts petunias there and I don't really care for petunias all that much, so I tried to make a case for "something yellow and cheerful that will spread a bit" and I am thinking that while they are cute, these were not the answer...but since then, I have in mind that my little hydrangeas might look good transplanted there so that I might get some larger ones for the nook area next year since I wanted something with more height in that space.  Basil is liking his new area just fine and producing nicely.  And, yes, email me photos of things you have in your yards as I would love to see them!  (Those of you in Iowa:  keep in mind I have reddish clay soil here and not that lovely black soil that I grew up with in northeast Iowa...growing things in this "soil" is a bit of a challenge...i.e. tulips are not perennials here as the clay soil causes the bulbs to rot over the winter.)  Thanks for all the suggestions...I know I could hire someone to draw up a plan, but there is something in the enjoyment of trying to get it right by yourselves and the satisfaction in that...and it is fun to explore a bit.  Thanks for playing with me!

Middle of the Week

Front Entrance.

The photos today are because I had such a terrific response to my request earlier this week about what to replace those impatiens with next year for height and color that I thought I would try to get some more advice about this area as well.  (Thanks to everyone who emailed with suggestions, btw, and even to those of you, i.e. CC, who thoughtfully provided a different viewpoint, "You know, they look very nice, except for the cream and crimson part but you are forgiven as I don't think they come in black and gold.  I just have this to say...it's not always size that matters...."  It's one of the great joys in life that I have friends who make me laugh daily.)

    So, here's the dilemma...when we planted a lot of these things 15 years ago, they were small and seemed right.  Now they seem like they are way too large and overtaking the front walk to that part of the house.  I know deep down that I need to just rip most of it out and replant, but it is really difficult for me to think in terms of just ripping them out and throwing them away...maybe I can replant them somewhere else in the backyard.  Any suggestions?  I know I am being overly sentimental about a bunch of twigs and leaves, but I have watched them all grow and I just can't bear to think of taking them out and throwing them away just because something else will might look better.  What do you all do in a situation such as this?

    Days 2 and 3 of Countdown Week are going very well.  More cookie baking (thankyouverymuch, Alex for your excellent assistance at rolling out those final 100...much appreciated...and see, per your request, I did not post that photo on this blog so that you can maintain your rep as a "cool dude" and not "someone who bakes cookies with his MOM").  I am still trying to talk someone into seeing Ratatouille with me...I am not having any luck around here...anyone?  Anyone at all?

"Let Us Begin With Prayer..."

Poor Pippin...Tibetan Spaniels are from...well, Tibet...they don't see too many 97 degree days in Tibet.  The great thing about Tibbies is that you don't have any trouble at all getting them to go outside for exercise and whatnot in weather that is, say 10 below zero...that is just the best day in the world for them...we have to literally drag them indoors in the nastiest of winter weather conditions as they are out there thinking it is some giant blizzard party and they don't want to miss a moment of it.  The opposite of all that is that days like today make Tibbies just wilt...all they want to do is lay around in the air conditioning.  They will venture out, but only if absolutely necessary, and then right back in.  Too funny. Usually the two of them are always side by side, but it was even too hot for that today...Vash choosing to lay directly below the ceiling fan on his back, all four legs in the air...it did look tempting.

      Day One of Countdown Week was busy.  Driver's Ed, baking 300 cookies for the Jr. National Swimming Championships at the Nat, getting school pants hemmed (wanted to wait until the last moment as Matt keeps growing daily), getting various other things for school, Matt's orientation for students and parents at Guerin, and last, but definitely not least, MNO.

    The orientation was a lot of fun...saw old friends, made some new ones, learned a lot about Matt's school, classes, teachers, staff, etc. and managed to sign up for seven different committees, or maybe it was eight.  Really, I need something to do...just playing it by ear from day to day is never going to work for me.  Hopefully, some things in this mix will be a good match.  Matt was just thrilled with it all so that was fun to see and I felt very good about it when the first thing they said at the beginning of the evening was, "Let us begin with prayer...."  (Probably a good move since the air conditioning was not on yet, it was 92 degrees outside, and the evening lasted from 5-8:30...a little prayer probably served us well.)

    MNO was a small group, but very fun.  I laughed so much my sides hurt by the end of the evening.  I was even laughing in the car on the way home...that is a good evening!  Speaking of prayer...I arrived at about 8:30, skipping out of the orientation during the last "period" (part of the evening involved the parents going from class to class in abbreviated form with their student to meet the teacher, etc.)...actually, I lost my family after the 3rd period (of six) and never really caught up with them until the 6th period when I realized that Matt had driven Blue Bernice to Guerin and he still had my keys, so I had to track them down to retrieve those...anyway, I had a fine time doing it all my way and got all my questions answered, etc. and Mark motored around with Matt and met the teachers...back to the MNO...I arrived a couple of hours late and when my soup arrived, I made the Sign of the Cross and said my mealtime prayer before eating, not giving it much thought as we always do that, even in restaurants.  Several minutes later I felt a touch on my shoulder and an older gentleman unknown to me said, "Thank you for praying, that was a lovely thing to do, and I was so happy to see you do that when you came in."  Wow...you just never know when you are going to touch someone.  How sweet of him to let me know that we had made a connection.  I just love it when things like that happen, don't you?   Such a simple thing, "Let us begin with a prayer..."

Beginning the Countdown Week Before School Starts

Remember when I lobbied for some impatiens for a small spot by the deck steps in the spring?  Mark humored me, on the condition that we go with the Cream and Crimson (IU) variety.  And, this is the best they did all summer...I have seen people grow very beautiful huge plots of impatiens each year...how do they do that?  Each year I try and each year, this is it.  This is as good as it ever gets here. (Can click to enlarge.)  Not at all impressive...I may have to surrender this fight also.  Sometimes you just have to call it a day.  Any ideas for this spot next year?

      It's been a perfect weekend.  (Of course, there are still wars being waged, poverty to conquer, illnesses to cure, etc., but for what I am in control of on a day-to-day basis, it was a perfect weekend.  The things beyond my control are still out there...unfortunately.)  I can't say that we accomplished all that much around here except just enjoying the time together, the fine summer weather, and weekend activities.  The fireworks for Setonfest were really nice...nothing like having a private fireworks show in my backyard where I can sit in a comfy chair and enjoy a front row seat!  (The tree line between us and the church makes it so that in the summer, we can't even tell there is anything beyond as it is all obscured by the leaves of the trees.)  It feels very private back here...even with hundreds of people at the festival, it felt like a private fireworks show on Friday and Saturday as we couldn't actually see anyone over there.  Very nice.  I may have to stay in this house forever just for that each year.  Location, they say, is everything.

     Well, it is the beginning of the countdown until school starts here in Carmel.  Remember when we were kids and we had that last week of summer before school started back in the fall?  (By that time, we were usually ready for a change and secretly happy to get back to the routine of school days, but would never admit this to our friends.)  That last week we would schedule something each day to make certain we squeezed every last bit out of summer that we could possibly squeeze out...for me, especially swimming as much as possible each and every one of those days as once school started in Iowa, that was pretty much the end of the swimming season. 

    Times haven't changed much...even as homeschoolers, we always celebrated summer right up to the very moment we had to open that first textbook in the fall.  This is the first year that both the boys will head off to school for the entire day...yikes, I am still in shock over it all...happy, but in shock that I will be all alone, with my own thoughts, able to do whatever I want, go wherever I want, take forever and a day at the museums with no one saying, "We've been here four hours, you know...."  Cool.  I am thinking I might like this...that this year is going to be one for me to regroup a bit.  I can't really commit to anything until Matt gets that driver's license next year because Guerin does not have a busing system and he needs transportation to and from the pool at 5:00 a.m. for morning practices, to school from there at 7:30, back to the pool after school for afternoon practices at 3:30, and back home after that at 6:00...but in the meantime...well, I am thinking that besides volunteering, I might just be able to goof around a bit.  I am just giddy with the thought of it actually.  So, let the countdown begin...one week to have a last fling at summer and then...well...I guess I will just make it up as I go along.  Thanks, Mark, for saying, "I think you should just take the year off and enjoy what comes your way."  No telling what sorts of crimes I can commit with that sort of endorsement.

Middle of the Night

      I had that dream in the middle of the night where you think you hear a baby crying and you get up to take care of it...only there is no baby in this house any longer, so that should have been the first clue that it was just a dream and my brain was not operating in full gear.  Nonetheless, more asleep than not,  I went in search without thinking, and ran smack dab into the closed door, resulting in a lovely large raised bump on my forehead...which btw hurts still more than one would think.   (It looks lovely as well.)  This is what comes from not being tired enough when you hit the bed at night...and that comes from this thing they call a break in the swimming life we normally lead.  With no crazy practice schedule to work around, Mark and I are just looking at each other going, "Wow, this is what it would be like without swim team."  We are clueless how to operate in this realm...it is amazing to me that I go to bed at night knowing I don't have to get up at 5:00 a.m.   I am going to have to find something else to occupy my time to ensure that I am tired enough at night to sleep without dreaming...these middle of the night dreams can be downright dangerous. 

        The boys grabbed a quick bite to eat before heading over to Setonfest tonight.  (In photo:   Matt, Jacob, Alex, Colin S., and Adam.) These five are the original guys in their scout troop beginning in the first grade and still enjoy hanging around together...the Setonfest being a yearly tradition.  Mark gave them each fifteen bucks to ride some rides and play some games before they head back here to swim and watch fireworks.  Tomorrow they all go to Adam's house for an overnighter and a trip to the drive-in movie theater.  Wow...date night alone here without needing to go anywhere...Mark and I can have complete thoughts and finish complete sentences...alone in our own house...what a deal!  (Also a big plus since I really don't want to go out in public looking like I took a line drive to the forehead!) 

        I said, "So, do you want to watch Jeopardy with me tonight?  You can even shout out all the answers aloud if you want."  Mark's reply:  "Are you sure running into that door didn't give you a concussion?"  Very funny...we usually have a rule that no one can shout out the Jeopardy questions to the answers because Mark is so quick at them all...its the "handicap" he gives us.  (It's my own fault for only being interested in smart guys during my dating days.  Brainy guys still rule.)  Oh no...it's Celebrity Jeopardy tonight and this is no competition at all!  Probably can handle this even with my concussion.

Thursday's Favorites Fare

My beautiful little golden pear tomatoes...we are enjoying them daily...so very good and a new "crop" for us this year!  Definitely a repeat for next year.

READING:  Florence:  Art and HIstory  (Another book Mark brought home from Italy for me...what a nice guy...gotta love a guy who knows the quickest way to a girl's heart, right?)

LISTENING TO:   Peter Cetera solo as well as some of his old stuff back in his Chicago days...I stopped listening to Chicago when Peter left in 1985...it just wasn't the same.

COOKING THROUGH:  Grilling the proteins and grilling, slicing, and dicing the fresh stuff...what's not to love about summer garden produce?  We will all be dreaming of moving to California for the fresh produce come winter...at least I know I will.  The little tomatoes above are good with just a little sea salt and pepper, or with a little olive oil and/or balsamic vinegar, or cooked slightly until the skins just start to pop and then eat them warm.  (A friend sugars them, and although I can't see doing that to these little guys, it's a fourth option if you want to do something other than put them in salads, which is my favorite way to use them...and, of course, there is always just popping them off the vine and into the mouth option which is probably hands down the best option of them all.)

FAV NEW FIND:  It has to be...Matt's new iPhone!

FAV THING TODAY;   Driving with Matt...he is doing really great...you hear that everyone?  I am not clutching at the door handle, poised to flee a moving vehicle at a moment's notice, grinding my teeth, holding my breath, and/or gasping for air...I haven't been able to say that about driving with anyone since 1974.  And. I. Am. Not. Kidding.  No panic attacks so far.  (Aside:  This has more to do with my state of mind than anyone's specific driving record, justsoyouknow this is not a criticism of any driving by anyone I know specifically.)

SCRAPBOOK PAGES THIS WEEK;  4-1/2...hmmm...maybe I will be more productive once school starts.

GOING TO:  Setonfest...our church's yearly 4 day festival...conveniently located in our backyard...well, across the creek and through the stand of trees, but essentially in our backyard...which is great for the two nights of fireworks...come on over, bring your lawn chairs...it's a great place to watch fireworks!

PRAYING FOR:  The Tom Hedlund family; The Families of the Bridge Travesty in Minneapolis; Our Service Men Overseas and Their Families; and Families Everywhere Afflicted with Pain and Suffering...please pick one and join me. 

Endings, Beginnings, and Middles

     Whew...July is always so busy around here!  August always comes as a sort of breath of fresh air...a time for a slower pace and a chance to regroup a bit before everything starts up again at the end of the month. 

   

    Endings:   USA Age Group swimming.

    Beginnings:   USA Senior/Open swimming with new and more time consuming commitments.  The beginning of high school swimming, also with new and more time consuming commitments. 

    Endings:  Indianapolis Children's Choir.

    Beginnings:  Indianapolis Youth Chorale...only one rehearsal a week, but alas, takes all of Sunday afternoons...better in the long run to mesh it with swimming and high school, however.  Guerin Catholic Choir and St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Choir...adding two additional choirs and commitments into the mix.

    Endings:  Homeschooling.

    Beginnings:  Guerin Catholic HIgh School for Matt; Carmel High School for Alex...each chose for himself.

    Endings:  My active lifestyle with the homeschooling community.

    Beginnings:  My active participation with the new schools, swimming, and choirs.

    Endings:  Days of roller blading, skate boarding, and bicycling everywhere.

    Beginnings:  Days of driving.

    Endings:  Parting with old ways and not going down with the ship.

    Beginnings:  Raising the white flag and trying to establish new ways.   

    Middles:  Everything else.  I am learning to appreciate more and more the Middles.