Vacation glimpses

The Juj and I just spent over a week with my family in Oregon. My parents, grandmother, aunt, two cousins & two children of one cousin all live in in or near Ashland, home of the famed Shakespeare Festival. And as soon as I figure out how to suck the photos out of my phone in bulk, I'll post more pictures of the small-town Independence Day parade, playing in the creek, and a blast from the past (for me) visit to the Oregon Country Fair.

But for now, here a few that I emailed to G-man, as he was only able to join us for a few days at the beginning of the trip.

Henna "tattoo" I acquired at the OCF. The fun thing was that after the artist painted it on, she blew glitter all over it, so it would be pretty while the stain was sinking in...

The Juj playing with this cool toroflux from FlowToys that my brother (who does poi & buugeng) brought along -- although now that I see them, I think they could use a little editing to make the toy (which looks kind of like a slinky) more visible...

I first visited the Fair in 1977 or '78 when I performed with some friends (we thought we were the coolest kids EVER!) and the Flying Karamozov Brothers, visited off and over the years, including seeing the Grateful Dead on the site for the The Second Decadenal Field Trip in 1982 - but haven't been since we took toddler Juj when he was less than two years old.

We also had dinner at Amuse for G-man's birthday before he returned to his construction project.

• Arugula, Shaved Fennel and Israeli Feta with Pine nuts and Creamy Lemon Dressing
• Crispy Veal Sweetbreads with Corn Puree, Cherries, Pearl Onions and Bacon Jus
• Wood Grilled Painted Hills Ranch Ribeye with Pommes Frites, Spinach, and Shallot Butter
• Rogue Creamery Crater Lake Blue with Dried Apricots and Thyme Honey
• Mt. Townsend Creamery Cirrus with Candied Fennel and Marcona Almonds
• Peach Polenta Cake with White Corn Ice Cream

We had local (Rogue Valley) Roxy Ann 2008 Syrah with dinner, along with some Grahams Tawny Port with the cheese (oh, the cheese - and the 'dried apricots' - not like any I'd every had, thin slices deliciously reconstituted in honey or juice, yum, yum, yum!), and a bit of Castelnau de Suduiraut Sauternes to close out the meal.

Hope to get more pictures going soon...

Preview: Dinner to get whacked for!

Tomorrow, we cook a long overdue offering we made at Horizon's fall service auction.  (J was sick when we had it originally scheduled.)  Seven guests paid good money (to the church) to dine with us, so we need to live up to our side of the bargain.

The only thing I really haven't decided on yet is...a signature cocktail to serve, along with beer.  I'm thinking mojitos or maybe a subtly exotic margarita (prickly pear?), but still toying with other ideas as well.  Any suggestions?

The meal is built around Puerco (or Cochinita) Pibil, banana-leaf-wrapped pork braised in achiote paste, as featured in the Robert Rodriguez movie Once Upon a Time in Mexico.

• Cochinita Pibil (this link includes the recipe as well as the 10-miunute cooking school video; very funny but not rated G!)
• Salad of avocados & citrus (will be consulting Judy Rodgers on this, and plan to create a citrus-cilantro dressing)
• Fried platanos (plantains, the yummy soft ripe ones, a la comida Cubana)
• Buttery white rice
• Black beans
• Corn tortillas from the local mercado
• Aztec Chocolate Pudding with vanilla ice cream
• settled on Tequila Refrescas

P.S. No pictures of the food, but did snap the tablescape...

Mother's Day Poem

Happy Mother's Day (by Julian)

We like too Play Wii

Your so sweet!

You are the Best.

We like to have tea.

I like when we meet.

I put your limits to the test.

[Gotta love that ABC-ABC rhyming scheme!]

Cooking up a storm...

Well, we had thought it was going to be the weekend to work in the backyard, but with our oddly Pacific Northwest-y weather (cool-overcast-intermittent rain), plans changed.

Yesterday was surprisingly busy. In the morning, I went to the vet to get catfood (yes, our cats have delicate stomachs, and in the interest of keeping the carpets somewhat clean, they eat a very specific and somewhat expensive diet), then off to the salon, and on to the grocery shopping.

In the afternoon, we spent some time online, consulting Edmunds and Consumer Reports, and then went off to test drive a potential new car.  My darling Saturn, first new car I ever owned, is now old, burns oil, and in need of a bit of body work, so I'm getting ready to say good-bye.

There is tension between my Scottish side that says

"Don't spend more than you have to - and make sure the mpg is decent!"

and my I-don't-know-what side that says

"Well, you are going to have it at least ten years, and it's already uncomfortable when two adults and the Juj have to share the backseat of our existing cars when we have visitors, and J is only going to get bigger, and you should have a ride befitting a senior manager [whatever that means!], blah, blah, blah..."

Definitely want four doors, and am torn between hatchbacks and small family sedans. I really like hatchbacks, but then I start thinking about the whole seating 3-across in the back thing and... (Full disclosure: I also feel lust in my heart for cross-overs/small SUV's, but I'm probably too cheap to buy one, both from a purchase price and ongoing fuel consumption standpoint.)

So what's in the running?

Mainly a bunch of Hyundai's because CR says they are a good value and reliable.

The most economical and sensible choice is the Elantra SE:

But also considering the Elantra Touring Wagon, since I like hatchbacks:

And G-man thinks I should keep the Sonata in the running (more room, classier, but more $ and frankly, I think I actually prefer a boxier design with more window glass):

And my wish list might include the Tucson, except that (a) I can't test drive, or even sit in, one because the dealer can't keep them on the lot, and (b) therefore, even if the mileage was better than it is, I'd still be less likely to be able to drive a decent bargain, given the laws of supply & demand -- and that I suck at negotiation.

But I'm also considering a Volkswagen because we already have a trusted VW mechanic, and I really like the fairly roomy interior feel of our current Jetta (which is a diesel model, and gets great mileage but then I think I might be too cheap to buy a diesel). I think I'd like the gasoline version of the 4-door Golf just fine (haven't visited a dealer yet), but CR says the mixed driving mpg is low on it, although they also think it's a great car other than that, and I do mostly drive highway as there are almost no surface streets on my daily work commute.

Basically? I can't make up my mind. And that doesn't even consider other options, like Honda Accord or Nissan Sentra, or Subara Impreza Wagon... I'm so afraid of buyer's remorse, from either not really loving the car for the next 10+ years, or not really loving the monthly payment, or not really loving it at the pump.

(Got an opinion? Feel free to weigh in!)

And, yes I was going to post about what I cooked / am cooking this weekend, but too bad, it'll just have to wait, since I've already blathered on this long, and now I really want to get back to cooking.

Adventureland

My brother amazes me.

He's been to Bali for poi -- and learned to scuba in the frigid waters of the Olympic Peninsula -- and he's been skydiving (once, but still, that's 100% more than I have...or will!) -- a few years ago he learned Japanese and went to Japan -- spent a semester in Sweden in high school (and yes, learned Swedish, too). And he's not even forty yet!

Happy birthday, big guy!

(And yes, I'm cheating and backdating the post on this, since I was sick on your birthday. Big sister privileges.)

It's an award! A major award!

OK, not that the Pioneer Woman needs anyone to pimp her blog, but I'm pretty excited that I won, I won, I won...this bee-yoo-ti-ful pot:

It may be time for Coq au Vin!

One for the Record Books

And the snow, snow, snow came down, down, down...enough to totally bust the all-time record snowfall for one day in Dallas. We had a record 11.2 inches in one calendar day Thursday, beating the previous record of a "mere" 7.8 inches in 1968 and 1917!
Thursday morning

Friday morning

I saw this while walking around the neighborhood; he's about as tall as me!

Food color art on my car

So, after a six-day weekend last week due to his laryngitis / sinus infection / bronchitis (thank you, Z-pak!), the Juj was in school for three days this week, followed by two snow days,  the weekend, and a day off for President's Day Monday (which I am going to take as a vacation day). So, for February that makes: 1 day of school, 6 days off, 3 days of school, 5 days off, then it will be 4 days of school followed by a weekend, THEN back to normal (we certainly hope) before Spring Break in March.

I think I will be more than ready to hit the office Tuesday, even if it's all about packing. Because we move from the old bankrupt company's building to the new employer's building at the end of next week.  And I've got to finish throwing out 13 years of accumulated but never referenced project detritus; ugh!

Family fun

Today we had a fairly lazy morning, although I did get up and get a yummy breakfast from the Chick-Fil-A drive-through (thank goodness it's closed Sunday and not on my way on weekdays!). In the afternoon, we got a tree, which is now up and lit and waiting for further decor, thanks to the G-man.

And we picked up a gingerbread house kit (prebaked but I did have to erect the house myself) which Julian and I decorated, and then "hid" in the oven to dry, in order to avoid having the cats eat it. I guess December can officially start now!

Snow in Dallas? On December 2nd?!

Well, it didn't snow long, and it didn't stay, but I do have photographic proof of this wacky phenomenon.

Halloween Jack O' Lanterns 2009!

Home again, home again, jiggity jog

It was lovely visiting the extended Guerrero clan in San Antonio, and now it's lovely being home. We probably had the least tension ever, including packing, driving, shopping, wrapping, preparing the meal, and loading out. Which was very nice. G-Man's flexibility is rubbing off on me in a good way.

We were even enough ahead of the game to make it to a lovely Christmas Eve candlelight service of carols and the Christmas story at a small church just outside of S.A. It was a family affair, with maybe 40 people, including lots of kids and babies; the minister is someone Gil met during a Franciscan modeled retreat he attended this summer. Really beautiful!

Before heading back to Dallas this weekend, we got to visit Seaworld--first time for me and Juj--with the W tribe. Pretty cool, although the Shamu Christmas show was definitely not multicultural. ;-) And I got to find out that my boy has a cool head; the kids were playing in a big open play area, couldn't find us, and one got worried. Juj found an adult with a cell phone and remembered my number to call so we could all be reunited.

We came home last night to a clean house, which we only somewhat trashed by hauling in all the luggage and Santa loot. But I have four days off this week, thanks to the enlightened management at my corporation (hmm...wonder if cost-cutting will get rid of that perk one day?), so Juj and I will be sorting laundry, watching TV, putting things away, playing video games, grocery shopping, shopping with holiday gift cards, cooking, taking care of Tamagotchi, paying bills, etc. Can you guess who will be doing what?

But I think I have to go build a giant Star Wars Lego ship now, as the box of 1,034 Lego pieces that Santa brought J just got cracked open again. (However, we'll need the Blu-ray of Mamma Mia with sing-along option that I received on in the background; G-man checked it out last night--while I was devouring the last of the Twilight series books--and said it looks goooooddd!) If I say this enough times here, will it make up for the fact that our holiday cards won't arrive until after December, if at all?

Hope y'all had great holiday cheer; and Best Wishes for Happy New Year!

Christmas Dinner

Well, it only 16 extended family members (including our little trio) for dinner at the Tias' house yesterday, but it was a lovely meal, if I do say so myself. Most of the recipes were from Martha Stewart holiday magazine, unless noted, and should be on her web site, if one was interested.

• Pre-dinner Nibbles with Cocktails (mostly Gin & Tonic or Jack & 7, depending on how much time the drinker had spent above the Mason-Dixon line): Spicy Pecans, Honey-Roasted Salted Figs, with fresh flame grapes and cheese & crackers
• Roasted Pear & Shallot Salad with Sherry-Dijon Vinaigrette
• Roast Beef Tenderloin with Caramelized Onion & Mushroom Stuffing (from CooksIllustrated.com, and used their tip of "buy tenderloin from Costco and trim it yourself")
• Leek & Gruyere Bread Pudding (but I would make it with a more toothsome bread next time; crustless brioche has NO texture!)
  
• Carrot "Souffle" (Gil said it was better than the one from Luby's that inspired my internet search for the recipe; certainly less sugar and finer texture)
• Tarragon Green Beans (with pre-stemmed haricots verts from Costco)
• Almond Cake (from Amanda Hesser's Cooking for Mr. Latte) with a black cherry sauce, a hot chocolate sauce, and freshly whipped cream
  

Wein-rerro Dinner

We polished off the last of our HUUC service auction offerings Saturday, with a wine & dine extravaganza co-hosted by the W's (although with Ms. W under the weather, it was just not as fun!)

• Alsatian Flammekueche (puff pastry tart with soft cheese, bacon & onion) - LUCIEN ALBRECHT WINERY, RIESLING, 'CUVEE HENRI' , 2004
• Chilled Green Pea Soup aux Fines Herbes Mousse - GROTTE DEL SOLE GRECO DI TUFO, VE NATO, 2006
• Poached Beef Tenderloin with Savory Sabayon & Wild Mushroom Saute, accompanied by Herb Potato Maxims and Julienned Vegetables - GROTH WINERY 2005 OAKVILLE CABERNET & RESONANCE WINERY WILLAMETTE VALLEY PINOT NOIR 2006
• Chocolate Dome - QUINTA DO VESUVIO 2001 PORT, PORTO, PORTUGAL

Mr. W outdid himself on the pairings (as always); I'm not sure I could pick a favorite if I had to! All the recipes except the beef & soup can be found in Julia Child: Cooking with Master Chefs, and the beef is from the 1996 edition of Cooking at the Academy, from the California Culinary Academy & KQED. (The soup was made up on a riff from How To Eat -- just frozen peas cooked with chicken stock, fresh basil and a pinch of curry, pureed, and chilled; whip some creme fraiche to stiff peaks, fold in some finely chopped herbs, and dollop on top.) We used the 120+ year old Limoges china, the silver plate, and four "stems" per person, all of which are lovely, but have to be hand washed. (In fact, 36+ pieces of glassware are still waiting for some tender loving care, although we did rinse out the red wines and port...)

Did manage to take a picture of the cake, but nothing else!

So Sunday night family dinner with Unca' Ron & Tia Elsa was take-out from First Chinese BBQ (hey, T-Rob -- I see there's a location in Austin!):

• barbecue roast pork
• young chow fried rice
• stir-fried rice noodle with curry
• crispy shrimp
• beef with snow peas
• broccoli chicken

We switched up and had frozen pasta tonight, but tomorrow will be leftovers by the yard -- have everything but the shrimp to eat a second time.

Beach Trip Saga: Allons-y a la Lafayette, then Home Sweet Home

Well, Juj didn't get his early morning beach walk before we left, as the weather didn't cooperate. (Just as well, because Sam met us at the front door at 6:30 AM and wanted to go, too. Then Ben. So we all sat on the porch, watched the rain, and talked about baby girl names instead.) Both cars were packed up and on the road before 9:30.

Lunch was in Mobile - Ed's Shed, with good shellfish all around. Gotta love the Google! On the way home, I found another, more quaint B&B (dating from the 1880s) in Lafayette, Louisiana, for our last night. The family who ran it were very nice, and made smiley-face pancakes for the kids in the morning as part of their "Ooh La La Breakfast." Plus there were cocktails and hors d'oeuvres on arrival, and kittens and a friendly dog to amuse the kids. However, Julian seems somewhat immune to the charms of B&Bs -- he said "On our next trip, let's stay in a hotel, not mansions, OK?"

We also hit one of our (mine and Gil's) favorite haunts for dinner and dancing to live Zydeco band. Gil's granddad "Pop" who passed away the year after Julian was born, lived in Lafayette for many years, and Gil and I spent several Thanksgivings here. Including the year Julian was born -- his first trip, at six weeks old or so, and we have a picture of the four generations of men together -- Juj, G-man, his uncle Al, and Pop.

In the morning, the families split up for the last leg -- the G's in search of boudin, W's in search of the quickest route home. We picked up some crawfish, pork, and seafood sausages at the converted gas station outpost of Comeaux's, stopped for lunch in Shreveport at Country Tavern BBQ, and then home via quick stops at W's for our second car seat (and car!), and Whole Foods for milk & dinner. Overall, a very successful trip, even if my "boys" did come back with colds (which they mostly seem to have shaken pretty quick). Wonder what next year will bring? G-man says it's up to the "guys" to pick, since the "girls" picked the last two trips, but he'll come to his senses when he remembers that "when mama ain't happy, ain't nobody happy!" ;-)

Beach Trip Saga: Beachy Keen

We got the top floor master suite at Sea Prize at the Beach (who names these houses anyway?), where there was plenty of room with four bedrooms (two masters!), 4-1/2 baths, 2 car garage, and two porches with a view of the gulf. It seemed like we'd really made out as we stumbled into bed that first night. And then morning came. With a sunrise along the Gulf. And no shades or curtains or anything on that wall of French doors from our room to the little porch. Ah, the price of luxury! ;-) The little subdivision (not sure how else to describe it) was just being built, with maybe about a half dozen houses so far, and had a lovely community pool (actually two together), and was basically across the street from the beach. We spent five nights there: pool time, sand castles and surf, a pirate cruise around the bay complete with sword fights and real live dolphin sightings, miniature golf, and dinner and watching the Olympics as one big family every night.

Friday morning, we had a late breakfast en famille (a deux familles? my college French is long gone) at the Great Southern Cafe on a side porch, which we had all to ourselves, thankfully, as it allowed the kids to indulge in wind sprints while the adults enjoyed the sea breeze. And the food: beignets, best cheese grits ever, fritatta, various eggs Benedict variations (Jen's Sardou with artichokes and greens was especially delicious), Julian had yummy French toast and a lot of MY fruit, Mickey Mouse pancakes for the other urchins, even the granola and yogurt was good! This was followed by a major grocery, and yes, we can admit it, liquor, run. (Drink of choice for the week? Gin and tonic!) Then Chuck & I took the kids to the pool, and when we got bored with that, to the beach, and then I headed back to the house to try out those Viking appliances in the marble-counter-topped kitchen. Whipped up a little meal of rice, mushroom and Italian sausage dressing topped with a whole bone-in turkey breast, which I roasted in the combo convection & conventional oven. But it fooled me; looked incredible outside while still a bit raw on the inside - dinner ran late, needless to say! The broccoli was great, though. We topped off the evening with the Olympic opening ceremonies. (The house featured 5 flat screen TVs, although thankfully, I don't think we watched more than 2 or maybe 3 at any one time.)

Saturday, the W's had made us all reservations for a highly recommended pirate cruise.

This was one time the GPS failed us -- by sending us on the beachfront road, full of stoplights, stop signs, and pedestrian right-of-ways. Yes, it was probably shorter than the other route, but rather slow, and they were almost pulling up the gangplank when we got there. (Thank goodness for mobile phone technology; we did call to say we were really on the way!)

It was great fun -- we saw jellyfish, and dolphins (including a family with a young one). For the kids, there were sword & water guns fights, deck swabbing, face painting, a treasure hunt, limbo, a congo line, and the chicken dance, a bit o' candy, loot and tattoos. (Must admit some of the big 'uns indulged in temporary skull and cross bones as well).

For those of age and with appropriately cast iron stomachs, there was rum punch, great watery vistas, and plenty of sun. Afterwards, we had a delicious seafood lunch at J. Michael's in Panama City Beach, where the waitress called us "Hon" and kept the sweet tea a'flowing. Drive home, naps, a little killer Shrimp and some crudites for dinner, followed by a sunset beach walk altogether.


Sunday, I was feeling not at my best (darn that Aunt Flo!), so while Dads took the kids to Goofy Golf,

Jen and I had the place to ourselves -- and quiet! I even did a little work since we had all the comforts of home, including wi-fi, and started reading the Julia Child autobiography of her time in France that Chuck loaned me. My favorite finding? That she and Paul Child could never get Christmas cards out on time (phew - we're not the only ones!), so they had a tradition of making and sending special Valentines to all their family and firends each year. (And yes, Jen, I am going to read the Twilight series next!). There was afternoon beach & pool, sans me, and the 'Tribe adults cooked a great meal of mushroom crostini, grilled tandoori chicken, grilled sweet corn, and a delicious salad with apples, almonds & dried cherries. And topped it off with the best homemade Sundaes ever! (Well, we might have had them the night before as well. And the night after, too!)

Monday, I was still out of it, but I think everyone else hit the beach & pool in morning. It was a Florida monsoon by lunch -- G's stayed in for quesadillas, W's braved the weather to hit Great Southern Cafe again. In the afternoon, Julian and I hit the beach briefly, then I had to lure him away with a promise of one last "Mom & Juj time" walk on the beach at sunrise, so I could make dinner: Roasted chicken & fingerling potatoes with mushroom pan sauce and a simple salad. (All that Julia Child reading inspired me!) This time, I have to say I mastered the oven a bit better, although we did still spend some time standing around smelling food but having to wait.

Beach Trip Saga: Vicksburg to Florida

In the morning, we had breakfast (nothing to write home about, but the setting was terrific - I especially liked the giant pink chandelier), and the kids and I played croquet and fought off fire ants while the rest of the grown-ups got us packed into the cars.

We tried to go to the Toy Museum but it was closed (too early, I think), so we tootled off through Vicksburg to tour the Civil War battlefields national park in our cars. They had an audio-visual device that you carried with you in the park with GPS so it knew where you were and showed you short videos and told you about what you were driving past or walking up to.

The highlight was the stop at the USS Cairo museum (for us Yankees, that's "kay-row" not like the city in Egypt). They had pulled up and reconstructed this steam-battleship that had been sunk by a mine in the Mississippi during the Civil War. It sank in 12 minutes, but not a soul was lost. It was a great archaeological find because the silt had preserved everything so well. 

We all agreed that we'd like to come back and explore more another time -- Vicksburg looks to be full of interesting museums and things to see and do! Then we scuttled on down the road - barbecue lunch and desserts to die for in Jackson, and a rainy dinner in Pensacola, where we got rained out of our restaurant of choice, but had a good dose of pasta to get us down the road instead.  (And that was the only chain meal of the entire journey, so there!)

Three states in one day; that's something compared to "the sun is riz, the sun is set, and we is still in Texas yet!"  The GPS attachment that G-man got for his laptop was both a godsend and a curse -- we had some moments of high tension while homing in on restaurants we'd found by Googling for "best (insert meal or type of food) in (insert next city)" especially when the directions said "take Exit 1ABC" -- well, which is it, you stupid machine: A, B, or C?!  I'm hungry, lost, and a storm is about to hit us! 

But through storm and dark and via GPS, we got to our house in Seagrove (between Destin and Panama City Beach on the Florida Panhandle) pretty late, maybe 9:30 or so, and got settled in across the street from the beach.

Beach Trip Saga: Dallas to Vicksburg

The start of our second annual road trip with the Weintribe. We drove across East Texas, through Louisiana, and across the mighty Mississippi to Vicksburg the first night, stopping at the Bonnie & Clyde Ambush "Museum" in some little town in Louisiana on the way. The dads toured the one-room museum since the content was not exactly child-friendly, and Jen and I took the kids to the town square and watched a train roll by -- much to little Ben's delight (he is a BIG fan of trains!) Then we drove out to the site of the final stand-off (thank you, GPS!)

We had not made any hotel reservations before leaving (other than the rental beach house we were heading for), so at our lunch stop in Canton, TX, I was calling various hotels in Vicksburg. I called a wrong number that turned out to be a great find -- the Cedar Grove Inn, a bed and breakfast in a mansion from the 1840s, including some additional cottages and a carriage house converted to two-room suites. So we each had a suite with a room for the parents connected to a second room with a daybed and trundle. Sam stayed with us for a sleepover (although I ended up sleeping with her and Julian, since he is still not so good about sleeping alone). And the price was right!

Dinner was at a restaurant recommended by a friend with the first-hand knowledge and the right connections. It was "round table dining" where they brought us a BUNCH of Southern home cookin' dishes served family style: coleslaw, stewed greens, candied beets, squash casserole, chicken-n-dumplings, fried chicken, chicken fried steak, pork chops, smothered chicken, some kind of spaghetti casserole, spiced peach cobbler, and I can't remember what else... Needless to say, we did not go to bed hungry!

Should I or shouldn't I?

I've been thinking a lot about blog content lately. I'm bored reading our weekly menu, and trying to decide whether I'm ready to open up and start down a more personal path here.

And then I see a PSA on television aimed at teens, reminding them that anything you put on the internet can be read by anyone.

So, while I hope to take the time to pick up F5's meme soon -- to highlight how fast trends change (my frosh year was earlier than hers) and because J asked me when I was "going to write about the music of my youth" (we've been listening to a lot of 70's pop and classic rock lately) -- I'm not sure I'm ready to bare my soul too deeply yet... sex? depression? politics? hot flashes? Even if it would possibly make for a more interesting, or perhaps less dull, blog.

So... Sunday dinner with tia Elsa & uncle Ron, anyone?

• Elderflower sours with fresh mint (loove St. Germaine!)
• Cornbread mini-muffins with cheese, bacon, red pepper and green onion (yum-o! yes, it was a riff on a Rachel Ray recipe)
• Pan-seared flap steak with a chile rub over a mixed salad with celery, carrots, red cabbage, daikon, red onion, and avocado
• Homemade gingerbread cookies (from Williams & Sonoma Kids Baking - deelish!)
• Fresh strawberries with softly whipped cream
  

But maybe I can manage some occasional pix to spice up the ol' blog. (At least, I find 'em fun on your blogs.) So here are some from J's kindergarten graduation last month. (Now if I can figure out how to suck over the photos from my phone, I'll really be set.)





By the way -- Kung Fu Panda? Totally rocks, dude! (Been a long time since I got to hit a movie on opening day!)

Hall of ...?

Last night, we hosted our second annual showing of a certain midnight movie cult classic at the church, although at a much more reasonable hour. And by we, I really mean Gil, who singlehandedly set everything up, made popcorn and hot dogs, and iced down the drinks. I lent some moral support as folks were arriving, but needed to whisk Julian home to bed right after the Time Warp. And by church, I really mean church - hallelUUya!

Our Columbia & Eddie personas aren't perfect yet, but we're working it. Although I'm not sure the over-forty set should really be allowed to dress up like this, even if we did forgo the fishnets. (First photo courtesy of Julian, budding genius; second one is out of focus and makes me look even more, shall we say, zoftig than usual, but the look on J's face made me keep it anyway.)

And since we're doing pictures, I must show off the wonderful custom Ikea china cabinet, now that it's done and full of stemware (since I mentioned it here, and here, and here). Does all that stemware imply that we are party animals? 'Cuz we're not!

And in the spirit of before and after (it's the same wall of our front room), or perhaps to allow me to hollowly protest again that we are not party animals, or maybe just because I had really meant to post this when I created my New Year's Day blog entry, here's the (toned down) aftermath from New Year's Eve 2007:

Anyway, couldn't figure out if this little photo round-up is a hall of... shame, fame, or infamy -- you make the call!

I am SO in trouble...

It's Halloween week, right? And all the Guerreros Tres dressed up last Saturday. But did we get a picture? Only this one at the end of the party, when we'd been helping re-set the chairs in the sanctuary -- half dressed with no accessories except the tiara Juj won in the screaming and dying contest.


And then we decorated the house for the big day, carved us a pumpkin, J and I dressed up again, and -- are there any pictures? No, no really cute Anakin Skywalker with a little padawan braid (that we managed not to lose until almost home from our candy looting trip around the neighborhood), not even a zoftig -- that's a nice word for "big boned" right? -- lady pirate with a sword.

So I may have to stage one of the Juj this weekend, although it means making my third padawan braid of the week to attach to his head. How can I be so pathetic? (This is like the old saw about there never being any pictures of the second child, although in our case, it's just there's fewer pictures after the first year or so -- maybe concurrent with when he got mobile, oh so mobile?!)