A recent conversation between Annika and me was entertaining enough that I needed to record it for posterity.
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Annika: Mama, why do you do the same thing over and over?
Me: What do you mean?
Annika: Laundry. You do our laundry over and over.
Me: (mentally agreeing with her!) Well, we need clean clothes. If I don't wash and fold them, who would?
Annika: What about God?
Me: Hmmm... I have a feeling God might have a few more important things to take care of.
Annika: Oh, yeah. How about Nana? She could do our laundry.
Me: If Nana's clothes are dirty, I think it is fair for her to wash them, do do you think it is fair for her to wash our clothes?
Annika: Probably not.
Me: So, God and Nana are out. It's back to me doing our laundry.
Annika: Yup!
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Whew - I am so glad we got THAT cleared up!!! :)
Saturday, May 18, 2013
Thursday, May 16, 2013
Karen's birthday celebration
Yesterday was Eric's mom's birthday. To celebrate her special day, his dad treated the four of us to a very fun, very fancy, very kid-free night out.
If you've never heard of or been to Canlis, it is AMAZING! You're treated like royalty from the moment your car stops in front of the door. You don't park your own car at Canlis... oh no ... their valets park it for you. Snazzy! The staff at the restaurant are obviously held to incredibly high standards and conduct themselves like I've never seen before. They work with precisions, professionalism, and (occasionally) a little bit of stealth (but in a good way).
I think one of my favorite parts of going to Canlis is the fact they have (and use!) crumb sweepers to ensure the tables are crumb free during the dining process. SERIOUSLY! Coolest thing ever! (At home, we call Buca is our crumb sweeper!)
We had a gorgeous view from our window-side table; perched way up high sipping on adult beverages and dining on fantastic food, we could see Gas Works Park, planes land on Lake Union, and all of the poor saps stuck in rush hour traffic on I-5 and the Aurora Bridge. Yup, best seats in town!
Eric and his dad ordered the halibut (I tried a bite of Eric's and thought it was incredible); Eric's mom ordered the lamb chops, and I had the NY steak. I don't recall being that full in a LONG time. Oh! And we also had an amuse-bouche of a curried carrot soup that, I swear, was made of pure silk! To die for! Their soups and sauces were all silky beyond belief! Oh! and their rolls were fantastic; I had a honey and milk roll (two in fact) that were so delicate and tasty.
Conversations covered everything from sports, to world events, to funny family stories. We laughed often and smiled all night long. While I adore our kids with every ounce of my being, it sure was nice to have a fantastic meal without a single "Mama" request.
After dinner, we were offered the dessert menu, but didn't order any due to having insanely full tummies. The restaurant knew we were celebrating Karen's birthday and couldn't let us leave without a little something, so our waiter brought our a plate of bite-size dessert (like everything else, delicious!) for us to have.
Eric's parents are true gems and, no, I'm not just saying that because they treated us to an evening at Canlis last night. They are truly great people. I can't even count how many times I've told people that I hit the in-law jackpot with them. I hear of so many in-law horror stories and am grateful to have Eric's parents as my in-laws. They are wonderful, caring people who we really enjoy spending time with.
Oh, and 12 hours later ... I'm still full!!!!
If you've never heard of or been to Canlis, it is AMAZING! You're treated like royalty from the moment your car stops in front of the door. You don't park your own car at Canlis... oh no ... their valets park it for you. Snazzy! The staff at the restaurant are obviously held to incredibly high standards and conduct themselves like I've never seen before. They work with precisions, professionalism, and (occasionally) a little bit of stealth (but in a good way).
I think one of my favorite parts of going to Canlis is the fact they have (and use!) crumb sweepers to ensure the tables are crumb free during the dining process. SERIOUSLY! Coolest thing ever! (At home, we call Buca is our crumb sweeper!)
We had a gorgeous view from our window-side table; perched way up high sipping on adult beverages and dining on fantastic food, we could see Gas Works Park, planes land on Lake Union, and all of the poor saps stuck in rush hour traffic on I-5 and the Aurora Bridge. Yup, best seats in town!
Eric and his dad ordered the halibut (I tried a bite of Eric's and thought it was incredible); Eric's mom ordered the lamb chops, and I had the NY steak. I don't recall being that full in a LONG time. Oh! And we also had an amuse-bouche of a curried carrot soup that, I swear, was made of pure silk! To die for! Their soups and sauces were all silky beyond belief! Oh! and their rolls were fantastic; I had a honey and milk roll (two in fact) that were so delicate and tasty.
Conversations covered everything from sports, to world events, to funny family stories. We laughed often and smiled all night long. While I adore our kids with every ounce of my being, it sure was nice to have a fantastic meal without a single "Mama" request.
After dinner, we were offered the dessert menu, but didn't order any due to having insanely full tummies. The restaurant knew we were celebrating Karen's birthday and couldn't let us leave without a little something, so our waiter brought our a plate of bite-size dessert (like everything else, delicious!) for us to have.
Eric's parents are true gems and, no, I'm not just saying that because they treated us to an evening at Canlis last night. They are truly great people. I can't even count how many times I've told people that I hit the in-law jackpot with them. I hear of so many in-law horror stories and am grateful to have Eric's parents as my in-laws. They are wonderful, caring people who we really enjoy spending time with.
Oh, and 12 hours later ... I'm still full!!!!
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| Menu cover |
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| Jack and the birthday girl (aka Karen) |
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| Eric and yours truly |
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| Karen's birthday plate |
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| Happy birthday, Karen!! |
Tuesday, May 14, 2013
Fun at the Kids' Fair
At the end of last month, a local shopping area (U. Village, for you locals) hosted a kids' fair, and we decided to check it out with a few of our friends to see what it had to offer.
We convened at the covered play area and burned off some energy as we waited for the two other families to arrive. It didn't take long to realize that our kids probably aren't going to fit in the play area much longer. They hardly fit in the play cars and Annika could scale the climbing structure in 3 steps. (Wahhh!! Our babies are growing up!!!!)
After finding everyone, we headed over to the fair, where there were a variety of vendor booths, as well as a fire truck, police car, and performance stage. The kids were highly impressed with the fire truck and all its splendor. Conor was less impressed once it was his turn to talk with the firefighters and climb into the rig, though; he left that to Annika. Unlike her little brother, Annika had no qualms about climbing into the fire truck and poking around a bit.
After peeking in a few booths, everyone agreed it was time for lunch. Fortunately, we picked a close restaurant that didn't have a lunch rush yet... considering we had 5 adults and 6 kids, we needed a decent amount of space. Our lunch was tasty, but loud and chaotic (go figure!).
We'd promised the kids they could have balloons before we left for their swim lessons. They REALLY wanted to go to the balloon animal guy's booth, so we waited in an insanely long line and anxiously kept an eye on the time and how slow the line was. (I think Eric was about to break out in hives due to the slow line ... he hates cutting things close when it comes to time and we were definitely cutting things close.) As a distractor, Annika and I jumped out of the balloon line and hopped over to the hair booth so Annika could get her hair braided. The gal was amazingly fast and even sprinkled some glitter on Annika's hair to make it extra fancy! Fortunately, we reached the front of the balloon line JUST in time. Annika requested a heart wand; Conor asked for a flower wand. Both kids got exactly what they wanted! Eric and I were highly impressed with how fast the balloon guy worked and how versatile his designs were!
AND, we made it to swim lessons just in the nick of time.
We convened at the covered play area and burned off some energy as we waited for the two other families to arrive. It didn't take long to realize that our kids probably aren't going to fit in the play area much longer. They hardly fit in the play cars and Annika could scale the climbing structure in 3 steps. (Wahhh!! Our babies are growing up!!!!)
After finding everyone, we headed over to the fair, where there were a variety of vendor booths, as well as a fire truck, police car, and performance stage. The kids were highly impressed with the fire truck and all its splendor. Conor was less impressed once it was his turn to talk with the firefighters and climb into the rig, though; he left that to Annika. Unlike her little brother, Annika had no qualms about climbing into the fire truck and poking around a bit.
After peeking in a few booths, everyone agreed it was time for lunch. Fortunately, we picked a close restaurant that didn't have a lunch rush yet... considering we had 5 adults and 6 kids, we needed a decent amount of space. Our lunch was tasty, but loud and chaotic (go figure!).
We'd promised the kids they could have balloons before we left for their swim lessons. They REALLY wanted to go to the balloon animal guy's booth, so we waited in an insanely long line and anxiously kept an eye on the time and how slow the line was. (I think Eric was about to break out in hives due to the slow line ... he hates cutting things close when it comes to time and we were definitely cutting things close.) As a distractor, Annika and I jumped out of the balloon line and hopped over to the hair booth so Annika could get her hair braided. The gal was amazingly fast and even sprinkled some glitter on Annika's hair to make it extra fancy! Fortunately, we reached the front of the balloon line JUST in time. Annika requested a heart wand; Conor asked for a flower wand. Both kids got exactly what they wanted! Eric and I were highly impressed with how fast the balloon guy worked and how versatile his designs were!
AND, we made it to swim lessons just in the nick of time.
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| Conor in the play area |
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| Our climbing champ |
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| Checking out the fire hose |
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| Firefighter Annika to the rescue |
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| Teeny tiny kids .... HUGE fire truck |
Monday, May 13, 2013
Spring Heat Wave
What we deem to be a heat wave here in Seattle is probably nothin' compared to what people in other parts of the world consider worthy of being called a heat wave. I tell those people, deal with it ... we're usually soggy here, so anything over 60 is a heat wave, darn it! :)
Last week, we had a play date scheduled with Annika's little buddy Allison. Fortunately, the weather was stupendous and the kids were able to have a play date that included running through the sprinkler in our front yard. They had a ball with the new sprinkler that I picked up for just such an occasion.
I'm pretty sure the kids' feet hardly touched our lawn most of the afternoon. As I look back through the pictures I took of them playing, hardly any of them included land based children. Instead, most pictures had leaping, jumping, hopping, or running little ones. So much fun. So many smiles.
After they tuckered themselves out, the kids headed to our deck, which was still bathed in warm sunshine, and enjoyed a picnic snack of grape popsicles and refreshing water. They set out towels (aka the tablecloth) as well as plastic plates, cups, and silverware on our kid-size picnic table. I'm not sure why they insisted on plastic forks, knives, and spoons, but who am I to judge what is and what is not proper popsicle picnic protocol??
Last week, we had a play date scheduled with Annika's little buddy Allison. Fortunately, the weather was stupendous and the kids were able to have a play date that included running through the sprinkler in our front yard. They had a ball with the new sprinkler that I picked up for just such an occasion.
I'm pretty sure the kids' feet hardly touched our lawn most of the afternoon. As I look back through the pictures I took of them playing, hardly any of them included land based children. Instead, most pictures had leaping, jumping, hopping, or running little ones. So much fun. So many smiles.
After they tuckered themselves out, the kids headed to our deck, which was still bathed in warm sunshine, and enjoyed a picnic snack of grape popsicles and refreshing water. They set out towels (aka the tablecloth) as well as plastic plates, cups, and silverware on our kid-size picnic table. I'm not sure why they insisted on plastic forks, knives, and spoons, but who am I to judge what is and what is not proper popsicle picnic protocol??
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| Around and around and around they went |
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| Up and over |
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| Right on through |
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| One of the few feet-on-ground moments of the afternoon |
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| Allison leaping through the water |
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| Airborne Annika |
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| The girls enjoying their water and popsicle picnic |
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| Popsicle boy |
Sunday, May 12, 2013
Fulfilling a Childhood Fantasy
When I was just a wee one, I attended a Catholic school that had a uniform policy.
The girls wore plaid jumpers or skirts (depending on grade); gray, white, or navy blue socks; a white shirt (polo or blouse), and a blue school sweater (cardigan or pullover). The boys wore navy blue corduroy pants, white shirts, and the blue pullover sweaters. After 8 years of staring at the same uniforms, I was pretty darned tired of wearing plaid.... to say the least.
As an adult with many years of perspective, I appreciate the idea of school uniforms. It makes getting dressed a snap; there's no "what do I want to wear today" issues each day. You have one thing ... put it on, eat breakfast, hit the road.
Annika's school also has uniforms and an annual auction, which was this past Friday. One of the silent auction baskets had an eco-friendly theme. I decided if I could get my hands on a uniform, I could turn it into a reusable bag. One of the gals on the auction committee with me offered up one of the uniforms her daughter had outgrown. Perfect! Recycling to recycle.
As I prepared to take the jumper apart to create a bag, I couldn't help but hear a little voice in the back of my head. That voice was my childhood self giggling with glee. Taking a rotary cutter to a school uniform was the fulfillment of so many uniform-related childhood fantasies!! It didn't even matter that the uniform wasn't mine!
I started off by removing the jumper top and then opening up the side seam to have a nice rectangle of fabric. I quickly realized that I wanted to retain the pleats to keep the feel of a uniform, so I sewed along some of the horizontal lines.
I also cut off two of the pleats to create the handles for the bag... everything must match, you know!
I ran the bag through my serger to finish off the edges and then through my sewing machine to create the actual bag. After attaching the handles and turning down the top edge, I was done.
My inner schoolgirl and I worked very nicely together and are both quite happy with the final results!
The girls wore plaid jumpers or skirts (depending on grade); gray, white, or navy blue socks; a white shirt (polo or blouse), and a blue school sweater (cardigan or pullover). The boys wore navy blue corduroy pants, white shirts, and the blue pullover sweaters. After 8 years of staring at the same uniforms, I was pretty darned tired of wearing plaid.... to say the least.
As an adult with many years of perspective, I appreciate the idea of school uniforms. It makes getting dressed a snap; there's no "what do I want to wear today" issues each day. You have one thing ... put it on, eat breakfast, hit the road.
Annika's school also has uniforms and an annual auction, which was this past Friday. One of the silent auction baskets had an eco-friendly theme. I decided if I could get my hands on a uniform, I could turn it into a reusable bag. One of the gals on the auction committee with me offered up one of the uniforms her daughter had outgrown. Perfect! Recycling to recycle.
As I prepared to take the jumper apart to create a bag, I couldn't help but hear a little voice in the back of my head. That voice was my childhood self giggling with glee. Taking a rotary cutter to a school uniform was the fulfillment of so many uniform-related childhood fantasies!! It didn't even matter that the uniform wasn't mine!
I started off by removing the jumper top and then opening up the side seam to have a nice rectangle of fabric. I quickly realized that I wanted to retain the pleats to keep the feel of a uniform, so I sewed along some of the horizontal lines.
I also cut off two of the pleats to create the handles for the bag... everything must match, you know!
I ran the bag through my serger to finish off the edges and then through my sewing machine to create the actual bag. After attaching the handles and turning down the top edge, I was done.
My inner schoolgirl and I worked very nicely together and are both quite happy with the final results!
Thursday, May 9, 2013
My little helper
Last night, I made a batch of brownies. Almost immediately, Annika rushed up to offer her help. She was bummed that I'd already cracked the eggs, but was mollified when I let her finish whisking them in and let her add the flour.
Both of our kids are amazing helpers when it comes to baking projects. They love to put the ingredients in the mixing bowl, crack the eggs (always an adventure), and stir everything together.
More than that, though, they like to lick the spatula/beaters/whisk when all is said and done.
Both of our kids are amazing helpers when it comes to baking projects. They love to put the ingredients in the mixing bowl, crack the eggs (always an adventure), and stir everything together.
More than that, though, they like to lick the spatula/beaters/whisk when all is said and done.
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| Our little chocolate fanatic |
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