Jan. 31, 2009
Good Morning and Happy Saturday Morning,
I've finally achieved Martha Stewart level 4 Super Homemaker Status . . . Envision if you will, a pregnant and barefoot Kate baking cookies with a '50's style waist apron tied around her ever-expanding belly, whilst a gaggle (or is it herd) of girls sit at the breakfast table nicely playing with Playdoh. I know, I know, you're all a little bit jealous. Okay, so maybe some of you are gagging a little too - Domestic perfection is not for the faint of heart.
There are times in all of our lives when we sit back and think, if someone had told me this is what I'd be doing in X amount of years, we all might have headed for the hills.
I've never been known for great patience, and have already expressed my issues with potty training, but today we reached an all new high (or is it low?).
In an effort to optimize potty time, I've taken to noting what time of day our delightful (and oft stinky) daughter has BM's (for the sake of the non-parents out there, we shall use abbreviations - we don't want to reveal all the secret joys of parenthood), thus making sure she sits on said potty at that particular time. Thankfully, my much-more-patient-than-I husband has taken on this task, and now sits with Addie for 30+ minutes at a stretch.
Now you'd think with this kind of upper level science being used, we'd have more success, but alas, she's on to us.
Bubbles was attacked by a neighbor dog a couple of weeks ago, and since she's already surpassed her life-time spending limit, we chose to doctor her at home and hoped for the best (of course each of us have a different definition of "best" outcome, depending on the number of cat bites received in the doctoring process). The very same irksome nine-year-old from the last email thought it was a good idea to take Bubbles to his house to play, and low and behold, their boxer thought he'd brought her a new toy. We've since determined that he was not in fact present for the attack, but I still think there's more to the story then we've heard. His 13 year old brother was there, is still traumatized (city kids are so sensitive) by the memory.
Just after it happened, the mom came over practically in tears and told us Bubbles was stuck up in a tree and both cat and dog were covered in blood. So Jeff went over, ladder in hand, and dragged Bubbles home. She was in fact covered in blood, but after a nice relaxing bath with grapefruit hand soap (we all know how much cats like baths, and I drew the short straw for that particular task), she looked like new.
Later that night, the parents came over apologizing for the attack, and since he's in insurance, trying to subtly determine whether we were the suing type. We tried to explain that it is the nature of cats to come and go, and it's best not to get too attached.
Apparently they don't share our feelings on the subject of cats, and now think us unfeeling monsters.
For a few days after the attack, Bubbles stuck close to home, but is now back to having sleep-overs at the neighbors. One day while their daughter was over playing, she let it slip that her mother feeds Bubbles salmon . . . See, it's not just her home life Bubbles is running away from.
Jeff has taken to bribing the cat in an effort to buy her loyalty. Every morning when he lets her in, he gives her a piece of salami and a fresh bowl of water (I'm telling you, the cat has a weird affinity for fresh water). So far, no changes on the loyalty meter, but he's hopeful. And besides, it's a great way to get rid of expired meat . . .
I've never been one for mixing business with friends, but since I'm still trying to make friends here, I put my personal feelings aside, and went to a Southern Living at Home party. For those of you who don't know, this is like a Tupperware or Mary Kay party, only with products seen in Southern Living magazine. This is one of those times when I've had to force myself to acknowledge what my life has become. I suppose it's all part of becoming a domestic goddess, and should just embrace it.
Apparently there is a trend out there to "party swap," (it has nothing to do with politics as I was inclined to believe), but two individuals who are representatives for two different companies agree to exchange forcing each others products on their friends. As it turns out, I'm not a very supportive friend.
My most recent at-home party invitation is to a Pure Romance Party (another party swap, but who thinks that "marital aids" is a fair swap with cheap jewelry?). I'm actually considering hosting this one myself, as there is nothing sexier than a pregnant woman with bladder control issues . . .
When I'm not attending these special special parties, I've taken to going to storage unit auctions. This week I stood out in the cold for three hours watching the auctioneer sell off the contents of six storage units. The big finds that day were a large box of pornographic magazines (some lucky person picked that little find up for $3.00), and a very nice, hand-blown water bong. Since the auctioneer can't legally sell off drug paraphernalia, they say things like, "remember, you're bidding on the box only." They also can't sell off paint, so when a storage unit full of painting supplies came up, they auctioned off 5-gallon buckets, and the paint inside was just a bonus.
In the news this week:
South Carolina Born Sweet Tea Vodka is Coming Home. This staple in everyone's liquor cabinet was invented here, but due to strict distilling regulations, had to be moved to Florida. Since the SC unemployment rates keep increasing, we're all thankful for any industry that wants to set up shop here. And since we've already determined that Southerns drink like it's their God given privilege, I think this little product is the real reason sweet tea is so popular here.
For those of you who don't know, Jim and Tammy Fae Bakker's Heritage Land was erected in Fort Mill, SC (just up the road). Since Jim's shameful falling from grace, Heritage Land has been abandoned, and is now a collection of abandoned buildings, which (among other things) include several castles and an outdoor coliseum.
But there's bright news on the horizon. Another religious group has made a deal with the city to take over the abandoned hotel (imagine the scene of a horror movie, and you've got Heritage Towers), and will be putting in retirement apartments. After all, who doesn't want to buy a space in a hotel that's been abandoned for nearly 20 years?
Those of you who can claim DAR rights (privileges?), now have another group to aspire to: Dames of the 21st Century. Apparently there is a new (new to me anyway) society of women who get together to do who knows what, and the only qualifying consideration is whether your forefathers were here from 1600 to 1699. The article gave a definition of the modern-day Dame, and detailed how one might begin researching said family lineage.
I'm just excited about finding a new hobby.
Love,
Kate
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Friday, January 16, 2009
More about those damn squirrels
1/16/09
Hi,
Well here it is Friday afternoon, and I have completed, and passed (at least preliminarily anyway) my PHR test - back to napping guilt free, yippee!
Since moving here, I have learned many interesting and useful things (examples: whooping is alive and well in the south, Carolinians are bad drivers, and the merits of Confederate Flag Day), but have recently learned a new phrase and thought I should share it with you . . . Meat and Three.
I'm still struggling with its actual meaning, but have come to understand it as dry meat and three soggy sides. I am willing to concede I could be a little bit wrong about it's meaning though.
On a recent trip to Wal-Mart (I still want to cry every time I admit it) I discovered a new product that I can't believe has not become an overnight success - injectable honey glaze.
This little tantalizing treat comes with its own syringe and a list of suggestions of what to inject said glaze into. I realize that food companies have been injecting meat for years, but it's always been in the privacy of their own plant. Just the idea of bringing injectable goodness out into the open is at the very least owning up to one's guilty pleasures, but more than that, it seems down right scandalous.
Once the world gets a taste of self-honey-glaze injecting, where will it stop? Why stop at honey glaze? Why not injectable butter (at the least), or injectable gravy, or for that matter, injectable mayonnaise?
As if that wasn't enough excitement for one trip, while I was checking out, I got into a lively conversation with the checker about the merits of gardening with Wal-Mart bags - one layer of plastic bags, one layer of dirt, one layer of plastic bags, one layer of dirt . . .
After two weeks of staying with our neighbors while we were gone, Bubbles has decided she wants a new family. Nearly every time we let her out, she runs to the neighbors and refuses to come home. She has already spent several nights over there (they say she won't leave, and I say it's the tuna fish in their pockets), and launches an attack against me when I go to get her.
Bubbles has a thing for fresh water, so she jumps into the sink anytime she thinks you may turn it on, and Addie has discovered the joy of "washing her hands" while the cat is in said sink (read, turning the water on the cat's head). I realize this may not be an ideal home life compared to sleeping in our neighbor's bed and getting canned tuna fish whenever you're hungry, but after spending $600 on her, I'll be damned if the neighbors are going to get her.
I am fairly certain Bubbles is plotting how to achieve refugee status as we speak.
For those keeping track at home, I have just won the Upstanding Parenting Award.
We have a particularly irksome nine year old in our neighborhood who is around a lot, and has recently taken to tormenting Bubbles under the guise of trying to "make friends."
On one particularly trying day, he told me our cat was mean and was always biting him. I then (because I remembered that I was the grown-up in the situation) told him that was because we were training the cat to attack him.
Now you'd think I would have stopped there, but no. I then went on to tell him that in fact, we had a picture of him in the house and were working on training Bubbles to attack the picture every time we said his name.
Upon reflection, maybe that wasn't the best way to handle the situation.
Two recent headlines in our local paper read, "Squirrels Plot to Take Over." and the other, "The Joys of Eating Squirrels." Those are honest to goodness headlines, and both are near and dear to my heart considering my experience with the carnivorous squirrels in our yard.
Granted, the first article was about a shortage of acorns and how the squirrels are plotting and scheming to take over bird feeders, but I think the sentiment behind the article was the same - squirrels are scary scary creatures and steps should be taken so they don't take over the world (this is where article number two comes in . . .).
Take care and have a great weekend!
Kate
Hi,
Well here it is Friday afternoon, and I have completed, and passed (at least preliminarily anyway) my PHR test - back to napping guilt free, yippee!
Since moving here, I have learned many interesting and useful things (examples: whooping is alive and well in the south, Carolinians are bad drivers, and the merits of Confederate Flag Day), but have recently learned a new phrase and thought I should share it with you . . . Meat and Three.
I'm still struggling with its actual meaning, but have come to understand it as dry meat and three soggy sides. I am willing to concede I could be a little bit wrong about it's meaning though.
On a recent trip to Wal-Mart (I still want to cry every time I admit it) I discovered a new product that I can't believe has not become an overnight success - injectable honey glaze.
This little tantalizing treat comes with its own syringe and a list of suggestions of what to inject said glaze into. I realize that food companies have been injecting meat for years, but it's always been in the privacy of their own plant. Just the idea of bringing injectable goodness out into the open is at the very least owning up to one's guilty pleasures, but more than that, it seems down right scandalous.
Once the world gets a taste of self-honey-glaze injecting, where will it stop? Why stop at honey glaze? Why not injectable butter (at the least), or injectable gravy, or for that matter, injectable mayonnaise?
As if that wasn't enough excitement for one trip, while I was checking out, I got into a lively conversation with the checker about the merits of gardening with Wal-Mart bags - one layer of plastic bags, one layer of dirt, one layer of plastic bags, one layer of dirt . . .
After two weeks of staying with our neighbors while we were gone, Bubbles has decided she wants a new family. Nearly every time we let her out, she runs to the neighbors and refuses to come home. She has already spent several nights over there (they say she won't leave, and I say it's the tuna fish in their pockets), and launches an attack against me when I go to get her.
Bubbles has a thing for fresh water, so she jumps into the sink anytime she thinks you may turn it on, and Addie has discovered the joy of "washing her hands" while the cat is in said sink (read, turning the water on the cat's head). I realize this may not be an ideal home life compared to sleeping in our neighbor's bed and getting canned tuna fish whenever you're hungry, but after spending $600 on her, I'll be damned if the neighbors are going to get her.
I am fairly certain Bubbles is plotting how to achieve refugee status as we speak.
For those keeping track at home, I have just won the Upstanding Parenting Award.
We have a particularly irksome nine year old in our neighborhood who is around a lot, and has recently taken to tormenting Bubbles under the guise of trying to "make friends."
On one particularly trying day, he told me our cat was mean and was always biting him. I then (because I remembered that I was the grown-up in the situation) told him that was because we were training the cat to attack him.
Now you'd think I would have stopped there, but no. I then went on to tell him that in fact, we had a picture of him in the house and were working on training Bubbles to attack the picture every time we said his name.
Upon reflection, maybe that wasn't the best way to handle the situation.
Two recent headlines in our local paper read, "Squirrels Plot to Take Over." and the other, "The Joys of Eating Squirrels." Those are honest to goodness headlines, and both are near and dear to my heart considering my experience with the carnivorous squirrels in our yard.
Granted, the first article was about a shortage of acorns and how the squirrels are plotting and scheming to take over bird feeders, but I think the sentiment behind the article was the same - squirrels are scary scary creatures and steps should be taken so they don't take over the world (this is where article number two comes in . . .).
Take care and have a great weekend!
Kate
Monday, January 5, 2009
Christmas recovery
Well we're back in South Carolina, after two weeks in Oregon, and although it's nice to be home (in the sense that we're back in our house and back to our routines), we both really miss Oregon. As most of you know, there was a huge amount of snow when we arrived, but thanks to the Caddy-plow, we were able to get around quite well. Who knew Cadillacs were such good snow cars? Needless to say, Jeff has totally fallen in love with them (and to this day, swears that his '79 Cadillac Eldorado was the "smoothest ride" he ever had).
Jeff's favorite missed things were of course beer - he opened a bottle of Mirror Pond (which we used to keep on tap in Portland), and let out a long sigh, and said, "that's good beer." Somehow the Budweisers and Natural Lights just don't seem to do it for him.
In addition to the food (because as a companion hobby to napping, I have also taken up eating), I missed the Portlandness of it all. Whilst driving around town, we spotted a guy wading through the snow bank, playing his guitar.
Since Oregon is such an outdoor city, there were cross-country skiers and snow-shoers everywhere, and I even heard tell of a gal who skied across town for a blind date - that's dedication.
Jeff's favorite missed things were of course beer - he opened a bottle of Mirror Pond (which we used to keep on tap in Portland), and let out a long sigh, and said, "that's good beer." Somehow the Budweisers and Natural Lights just don't seem to do it for him.
In addition to the food (because as a companion hobby to napping, I have also taken up eating), I missed the Portlandness of it all. Whilst driving around town, we spotted a guy wading through the snow bank, playing his guitar.
Since Oregon is such an outdoor city, there were cross-country skiers and snow-shoers everywhere, and I even heard tell of a gal who skied across town for a blind date - that's dedication.
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Food poisoning anyone?
Dec. 11
Hello and happy two weeks before Christmas!
Jeff and I both took turns having food poisoning this week, and lucky me, I had it about 10 times worse than he did. For those of you who haven't experienced vomiting while six months pregnant, let me just tell you, you're really missing out on something very special . . . and disgusting. Two days later, I'm feeling mostly better, but my insides hurt from all the heaving (sorry for the gross details).
I know many of you are eagerly awaiting trash talk about the Laurel Creek Christmas party, but alas, although a pleasant evening, it was utterly uneventful. Though, in keeping with their reputation, my neighbors did close the party down, many of them with a hearty dose of booze under their belts (hey, if it's free, why not, right?).
Always trying to keep up with Martha, I had to bake eight dozen cookies this week for a cookie exchange (add eight dozen to those trays you burn, plus extras to make up for less than pretty cookies, and we're talking 10 dozen). I came home with a ton of cookies, but since we were both sick, we haven't even tried any.
Since this neighborhood goes a little wild at Christmas, I invited Addie's preschool class over for dinner and a Christmas light walk. I'm sure those of you who saw Jeff's decorations in Portland were worried how they'd fit in here in here in the south - but no worries, there's something about a big yard that somehow makes them all a bit more tasteful looking . . . Or it could be the fact that every yard has an inflatable or three, so we just blend in.
I took the cat to the vet again (and we're due again in January), but alas, did not get put in the room with the Gun & Garden magazine. But I did have a chance to read The Christian Veterinarian, and it's all that you'd imagine it would be. I just can't believe I've gone my whole life completely unaware that these types of literature existed. And I called myself an English Major.
On the upside of a very expensive vet visit, I did find an add for a veterinarian mission trip to Mongolia to help train local vets in small animal care. Do you think my experience with Tiny Bubbles qualifies me?
About a week ago, Jeff and I were watching TV (okay, he was watching, and I was napping), and he poked me and said in amazement, "Do you see this?!" Normally, Jeff pays no mind to the unusual Southerners of where we live, so I was doubly amazed that he felt inclined to poke me. Anyway, the 10 o'clock news was doing a feature story on . . . wait for it . . . Jesus Christ. It was, and I am not making this up, a biography of the Savior himself. Now remember, this wasn't a Christmas special, or the religious channel, it was a mainstream Charlotte news channel just doing their part to spread The Word.
I realize that was probably normal for these parts, but coming from the Pacific Northwest, where you can't even sing the Pledge of Allegiance, I was awed.
The church where Addie goes to preschool puts on a huge Journey Through Bethlehem every year. It's an interactive reenactment of Jesus' birth with over 500 cast members, and since we knew the Baby Jesus, we felt obligated to go. It was well done, and definitely worth the free admission. Although we had no idea they spoke with such deep southern accents in Bethlehem . . .
As some of you know, we've been working at potty training with Addie for some time now, and to no avail. In an effort to move things along, I switched Addie to pull-ups, which has helped dramatically, but honestly, who has the patients for this? Addie now wants to sit on the potty all the time, particularly when we're out shopping. You'd think this would be great, and a step in the right direction, but we've had ZERO successes so far. Not only that, she's also quite particularly about where and how she sits. It has to be upstairs on her potty (never mind that we have a little seat and stool set up for her downstairs), Jeff or I have to be with her, and books and/or toys are a must. I realize it's my job to be supportive and all that, but good lord, 5:40am in the morning does not a supportive mother make.
Well, only one week and one day until we fly back to Oregon. For those of you who we won't get to see while home (ie you don't live there), Merry Christmas!!
Much Love,
Kate
Hello and happy two weeks before Christmas!
Jeff and I both took turns having food poisoning this week, and lucky me, I had it about 10 times worse than he did. For those of you who haven't experienced vomiting while six months pregnant, let me just tell you, you're really missing out on something very special . . . and disgusting. Two days later, I'm feeling mostly better, but my insides hurt from all the heaving (sorry for the gross details).
I know many of you are eagerly awaiting trash talk about the Laurel Creek Christmas party, but alas, although a pleasant evening, it was utterly uneventful. Though, in keeping with their reputation, my neighbors did close the party down, many of them with a hearty dose of booze under their belts (hey, if it's free, why not, right?).
Always trying to keep up with Martha, I had to bake eight dozen cookies this week for a cookie exchange (add eight dozen to those trays you burn, plus extras to make up for less than pretty cookies, and we're talking 10 dozen). I came home with a ton of cookies, but since we were both sick, we haven't even tried any.
Since this neighborhood goes a little wild at Christmas, I invited Addie's preschool class over for dinner and a Christmas light walk. I'm sure those of you who saw Jeff's decorations in Portland were worried how they'd fit in here in here in the south - but no worries, there's something about a big yard that somehow makes them all a bit more tasteful looking . . . Or it could be the fact that every yard has an inflatable or three, so we just blend in.
I took the cat to the vet again (and we're due again in January), but alas, did not get put in the room with the Gun & Garden magazine. But I did have a chance to read The Christian Veterinarian, and it's all that you'd imagine it would be. I just can't believe I've gone my whole life completely unaware that these types of literature existed. And I called myself an English Major.
On the upside of a very expensive vet visit, I did find an add for a veterinarian mission trip to Mongolia to help train local vets in small animal care. Do you think my experience with Tiny Bubbles qualifies me?
About a week ago, Jeff and I were watching TV (okay, he was watching, and I was napping), and he poked me and said in amazement, "Do you see this?!" Normally, Jeff pays no mind to the unusual Southerners of where we live, so I was doubly amazed that he felt inclined to poke me. Anyway, the 10 o'clock news was doing a feature story on . . . wait for it . . . Jesus Christ. It was, and I am not making this up, a biography of the Savior himself. Now remember, this wasn't a Christmas special, or the religious channel, it was a mainstream Charlotte news channel just doing their part to spread The Word.
I realize that was probably normal for these parts, but coming from the Pacific Northwest, where you can't even sing the Pledge of Allegiance, I was awed.
The church where Addie goes to preschool puts on a huge Journey Through Bethlehem every year. It's an interactive reenactment of Jesus' birth with over 500 cast members, and since we knew the Baby Jesus, we felt obligated to go. It was well done, and definitely worth the free admission. Although we had no idea they spoke with such deep southern accents in Bethlehem . . .
As some of you know, we've been working at potty training with Addie for some time now, and to no avail. In an effort to move things along, I switched Addie to pull-ups, which has helped dramatically, but honestly, who has the patients for this? Addie now wants to sit on the potty all the time, particularly when we're out shopping. You'd think this would be great, and a step in the right direction, but we've had ZERO successes so far. Not only that, she's also quite particularly about where and how she sits. It has to be upstairs on her potty (never mind that we have a little seat and stool set up for her downstairs), Jeff or I have to be with her, and books and/or toys are a must. I realize it's my job to be supportive and all that, but good lord, 5:40am in the morning does not a supportive mother make.
Well, only one week and one day until we fly back to Oregon. For those of you who we won't get to see while home (ie you don't live there), Merry Christmas!!
Much Love,
Kate
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Carnivorous Squirrels
Dec. 4
Hi there and happy Thursday,
Well, here I am avoiding studying again. It's amazing the things you can find to do when you have important (expensive) tests to study for (an Prof. in HR Certification test for those of you who don't know).
Addie got into Jeff's deodorant this morning, and let me just say, there's nothing quite like a two year old girl smelling like a musky man . . . I'm thinking of bottling the concept for Mattel or Fisher Price. If that doesn't work, I'm considering asking Brittany Spears to be the face of the my new scent - "Guess Who Got into Dad's Dresser?"
Christmasville starts here this weekend, which features over 70 holiday events, including, "Festival of Trees Cocktail Crawl," followed closely by "Single Malt Scotch Tasting." Who knew? I had never associated Christmass trees and cocktails, but if that's what helps you get through the holidays, more power to you.
Even bigger news, a coffee shop opened up downtown (since moving here, I have made it my goal to seek out and try each coffee shop in Rock Hill - a task that only took me about two days . . .), which was a huge day for me. So big in fact, that I pre-arranged to meet some of the other preschool moms there on opening day. They're off to a great start - out of three orders, they only made two mistakes.
I'm pulling for them though. And since everyone needs and is desperately waiting for my informed opinions, I gave them mine.
As most of you know, Jeff's alter-ego is a lumber jack, but since his dad convinced him to leave his chainsaw in Oregon with him, Jeff's been chomping at the bit to cut down some trees. Since someone wouldn't mail said chainsaw back to him (I'm talking about you Randy), Jeff got a brand new shiny chainsaw for his birthday (if anyone needs any advice on Stihl chainsaws, I'm your woman). All week Jeff had his eye on a dead pine tree behind our house (although not technically on our property, we figured dead trees are fair game), but sadly, the day before he was going to cut it down, it blew over in a wind storm (well, not really a storm, more of a strong breeze and some aggressive squirrels). You have never seen someone so crest fallen as Jeff was when he realized he wasn't going to get to fall (fell?) that tree.
But don't worry, Jeff got nearly as much satisfaction cutting the downed tree up into logs, and chopping firewood. Jeff is never quite so happy as he is when he's swinging an ax and using is manly muscles. I'd like to be able to say I helped him, but I believe I was taking a nap instead (since it is practically my new hobby).
I'm sure you are all relieved to hear that the tax free gun sales weekend was a big success. According to the article, the south is doing their part to keep the economy stimulated by taking advantage of no sales tax on all gun purchases last weekend. Apparently the combination of saving 7% and Obama's potential gun reform, there were mad rushes to every gun selling store in South Carolina. The weekend was affectionately referred to as "celebration of the second amendment weekend." I'm just sorry I didn't take advantage of it while I could.
Addie has a really neat new sleeping habit (or not sleeping habit). When she wakes up in the middle of the night, or during her nap time, and can't get back to sleep, she collects anything she can get her hands on, and puts it in bed with her. So far I've found four pairs of shoes (not matching pairs mind you), a whole pile of dirty laundry (it was piled on her back while she was sleeping, so I'm not entirely sure how she pulled that one off), spare socks (Jeff had just been wondering why her socks were all of the sudden coming up with mis-matches), every stuffed animal in her room (at least 20 of them), her belt buckle and belt (that's actually a favorite), and of course, every toy she can reach. It's a wonder there's any room for her in there.
We've also discovered a really fun game called, "Lets see if I can pull the cat under the door." Last week Addie was in her room not taking her nap, and the cat was outside in the hall. Since both are gluttens for punishment, Addie stuck her hands under the door, and waved them tantalizingly (like a worm on a hook), and of course, the cat bit them. Then the cat would take her turn sticking her paws under the door, and Addie would try to pull her through. Every few minutes you'd hear Addie cry and the cat howl. You'd think they'd learn, but this went on for a good 15 minutes.
And lastly, the carnivorous squirrels. This is actually old news, but I keep thinking about it each time a squirrel eyes Addie on our walks.
Jeff has two sets of mounted antlers that he got from his grandpa, and he dutifully hung them up on the trees in our yard once they were unpacked. Within a few weeks he noticed that the antlers were getting smaller, and that each spike had large (not just small nibbles) bites taken out of them. You might not think this so odd - bones (or bone-like substance) outdoors will get eaten, right? These same antlers had hung in the woods of Dallas for many years, with nary a nibble.
Within a few minutes of close surveillance, Jeff witnessed busy-tailed grey squirrels climb up the tree, unhinge their jaws and take shark-sized bites out of the antlers (okay, maybe they didn't unhinge their jaws, but if you'd seen these bite marks, you'd be asking the same questions). Needless to say, the antlers came down, and are now safely in the garage with the petrified frogs. And for the record, I'm deeply disappointed about that.
Tonight is the big Laurel Creek Christmas Party, so I hope no ones looking for a babysitter tonight, since some have been booked for this party since July. I'll tell you what though, if you want to start a neighborhood feud, try booking the most sought after sitters six months in advance.
Take Care and Much Love to All,
Kate
Well, here I am avoiding studying again. It's amazing the things you can find to do when you have important (expensive) tests to study for (an Prof. in HR Certification test for those of you who don't know).
Addie got into Jeff's deodorant this morning, and let me just say, there's nothing quite like a two year old girl smelling like a musky man . . . I'm thinking of bottling the concept for Mattel or Fisher Price. If that doesn't work, I'm considering asking Brittany Spears to be the face of the my new scent - "Guess Who Got into Dad's Dresser?"
Christmasville starts here this weekend, which features over 70 holiday events, including, "Festival of Trees Cocktail Crawl," followed closely by "Single Malt Scotch Tasting." Who knew? I had never associated Christmass trees and cocktails, but if that's what helps you get through the holidays, more power to you.
Even bigger news, a coffee shop opened up downtown (since moving here, I have made it my goal to seek out and try each coffee shop in Rock Hill - a task that only took me about two days . . .), which was a huge day for me. So big in fact, that I pre-arranged to meet some of the other preschool moms there on opening day. They're off to a great start - out of three orders, they only made two mistakes.
I'm pulling for them though. And since everyone needs and is desperately waiting for my informed opinions, I gave them mine.
As most of you know, Jeff's alter-ego is a lumber jack, but since his dad convinced him to leave his chainsaw in Oregon with him, Jeff's been chomping at the bit to cut down some trees. Since someone wouldn't mail said chainsaw back to him (I'm talking about you Randy), Jeff got a brand new shiny chainsaw for his birthday (if anyone needs any advice on Stihl chainsaws, I'm your woman). All week Jeff had his eye on a dead pine tree behind our house (although not technically on our property, we figured dead trees are fair game), but sadly, the day before he was going to cut it down, it blew over in a wind storm (well, not really a storm, more of a strong breeze and some aggressive squirrels). You have never seen someone so crest fallen as Jeff was when he realized he wasn't going to get to fall (fell?) that tree.
But don't worry, Jeff got nearly as much satisfaction cutting the downed tree up into logs, and chopping firewood. Jeff is never quite so happy as he is when he's swinging an ax and using is manly muscles. I'd like to be able to say I helped him, but I believe I was taking a nap instead (since it is practically my new hobby).
I'm sure you are all relieved to hear that the tax free gun sales weekend was a big success. According to the article, the south is doing their part to keep the economy stimulated by taking advantage of no sales tax on all gun purchases last weekend. Apparently the combination of saving 7% and Obama's potential gun reform, there were mad rushes to every gun selling store in South Carolina. The weekend was affectionately referred to as "celebration of the second amendment weekend." I'm just sorry I didn't take advantage of it while I could.
Addie has a really neat new sleeping habit (or not sleeping habit). When she wakes up in the middle of the night, or during her nap time, and can't get back to sleep, she collects anything she can get her hands on, and puts it in bed with her. So far I've found four pairs of shoes (not matching pairs mind you), a whole pile of dirty laundry (it was piled on her back while she was sleeping, so I'm not entirely sure how she pulled that one off), spare socks (Jeff had just been wondering why her socks were all of the sudden coming up with mis-matches), every stuffed animal in her room (at least 20 of them), her belt buckle and belt (that's actually a favorite), and of course, every toy she can reach. It's a wonder there's any room for her in there.
We've also discovered a really fun game called, "Lets see if I can pull the cat under the door." Last week Addie was in her room not taking her nap, and the cat was outside in the hall. Since both are gluttens for punishment, Addie stuck her hands under the door, and waved them tantalizingly (like a worm on a hook), and of course, the cat bit them. Then the cat would take her turn sticking her paws under the door, and Addie would try to pull her through. Every few minutes you'd hear Addie cry and the cat howl. You'd think they'd learn, but this went on for a good 15 minutes.
And lastly, the carnivorous squirrels. This is actually old news, but I keep thinking about it each time a squirrel eyes Addie on our walks.
Jeff has two sets of mounted antlers that he got from his grandpa, and he dutifully hung them up on the trees in our yard once they were unpacked. Within a few weeks he noticed that the antlers were getting smaller, and that each spike had large (not just small nibbles) bites taken out of them. You might not think this so odd - bones (or bone-like substance) outdoors will get eaten, right? These same antlers had hung in the woods of Dallas for many years, with nary a nibble.
Within a few minutes of close surveillance, Jeff witnessed busy-tailed grey squirrels climb up the tree, unhinge their jaws and take shark-sized bites out of the antlers (okay, maybe they didn't unhinge their jaws, but if you'd seen these bite marks, you'd be asking the same questions). Needless to say, the antlers came down, and are now safely in the garage with the petrified frogs. And for the record, I'm deeply disappointed about that.
Tonight is the big Laurel Creek Christmas Party, so I hope no ones looking for a babysitter tonight, since some have been booked for this party since July. I'll tell you what though, if you want to start a neighborhood feud, try booking the most sought after sitters six months in advance.
Take Care and Much Love to All,
Kate
Saturday, November 22, 2008
Best of the best
Below are the best of the best "What have I gotten myself into" emails.
Our Big Move, or “What have I gotten myself into?”
July 28
Hello Everyone,
Well, a week later, we finally have internet (there was no wireless to pirate, so we had to actually pay for internet). We also have a new home phone number, but they forgot to tell me what it was when they hooked it up, so I'll let y'all know as soon as I do.
All is well here - unpacking is a pain, but I can't live in the chaos for much longer, so I suppose I'll have to suck it up and empty all of the boxes - right now our bonus room looks like a storage facility and/or dumping ground for used packing paper.
Just in case any of you had any doubts, it's hot here . . . In fact, it's supposed to be 95 degrees today, with the added bonus of lots of humidity. Addie and I can usually only tolerate about 15 minutes outside at a time before we have to come in and enjoy the air conditioning.
There are appetizer-sized bugs here that think I taste good, but have thankfully been avoiding Jeff and Addie. Every time I step in the grass, I come back with at least three new bug bites that itch like crazy. They have wasps here that are an inch (no exaggeration) long and look like they could carry Addie away if they ganged up together.
We're pretty lucky, our development has a lot of green space and walking paths, so we get to see wild-life every day - loads of frogs (even orange ones that look a little poisonous), turtles, deer, rabbits and we saw a falcon in our yard yesterday. We've been told there are snakes all over, but we haven't seen any yet - thankfully!
Although we admit we're being super judgmental, Jeff and I feel like we've moved into Pleasantville and/or Stepford (sp? i.e. The Stepford Wives). Everyone is SOOOO polite, it's enough to put you off and some of the men come off as being a little slick. On the up side, one neighbor brought us homemade bread and another brought us a bucket of peaches. Since there are so many, I thought I would make some peach pie - is it considered polite or rude to bring some pie over to the neighbor who brought the peaches?
Just about everyone we see apologizes for how they're dressed, so Jeff and I are a little nervous about what they think of our casual wear (I've been trying to get Jeff to at least throw out the T-shirts with holes in them).
We've haven't picked up any accents yet, but we've definitely embraced "y'all" as standard for more than one person.
Since it's just Addie and me at home, we're getting a little bored. Although there are a lot (so it seems) of stay-at-home moms, we don't see anyone during the day. I assume it has to do with the heat, but they could just be avoiding us.
We had our first walk-by proselytizing - We met one of the neighbors across the street, and the second thing out of her mouth was (imagine a very strong southern accent), "if y'all are looking for a church, we go to the First Baptist out on Dave Lyle. It's a real nice church, and they have a great children's program." After all the warnings we'd been given about that type of thing, we were surprised that it's only happened once so far.
As for other adjustments, groceries are really expensive here - I paid $4.25/gallon for milk and nearly fell over. Jeff and I got in trouble for trying to buy beer on Sunday - because you can't, it's against the law. I have found the local Wal-Mart and find it just as detestable here as I always have.
The house is fine, but with any house (new or old), we've found some small problems that need immediate attention - the toilet and garbage disposal leak and although there are closets-a-plenty, they only have one small wire shelf in each, so the storage is really poor. Needless to say, Jeff has been keeping pretty busy when he's not at work.
We've seen some pretty fantastic anti-yankee bumper stickers - "If it's tourist season, why can't we shoot them?" and (with a picture of a mosquito), "send more Yankees, they taste good."
I realize this is a pretty long email - sorry. I'm just making up for not having any sort of outlet for the past week+.
Aug. 2, 2008
Hi Everyone,
Well, we've been here now for two weeks, and if I still didn't have unpacking to do, I might just go stir crazy. I think Addie is even getting a little bored with me.
It's hot as blazes, and humid to boot, but there are some pretty fantastic storms (we've had three in the last week - something to do with the hurricanes off the coast). Jeff and I had a particularly bad Monday (see below), so we sat on our porch and watched the lighting, heard the rolling thunder, and got soaking wet. Had any neighbors been watching, they must have thought us insane.
Jeff and I have decided that South Carolina is conspiring to take all of our money. Not only do you have to pay property taxes on your cars (what?), they made me pay sales tax on my Pilot, even though I did not buy it in South Carolina, nor was I a resident at the time. Needless to say, I'll be taking it up with the Revenue Department. Four hours, and too much money later, I finally got SC plates . . . Ugg! That was also right on the heels of a nice letter from the city about an annual back-flow inspection for our sprinklers - who's heard of that? We may have to sell Addie for scientific experiments.
We have some good and bad news about the house - as of Mon 7/28, Hewitt took over ownership, which means it's no longer our hassle to deal with. The bad news is, they have yet to pay us for said house. Silly us, we thought we'd get paid for our house . . .
Our house has some very strange noises and we are not entirely sure it is free of all things supernatural. Last week, I was sitting at the computer and I swear I saw something dash past the door and a moment later an alarm clock (that was sitting in the hall) went off randomly. We also had some very strange garage door problems the first week we were here. I'd close it, and sometime later (an hour, three hours, 15 minutes, etc), it would be open. This went on for several days, and I was already starting to imagine the REAL reasons the last two families had moved out (three owners in seven years is a lot after all). Thankfully, we figured that mystery out. Turns out the old owners still have our garage door programmed into their car buttons, and since they only moved across the street, the button still activated our door.
Our nature walks are the highlight of our day. Needless to say, once we're 100% unpacked, I will be looking for a job.
I think that's it. Hope all of you are doing well. I'd love to hear from you when you have a chance.
Take care,
Kate
Sept. 3
Subj: Greetings from the Rock Hill Public Library
Hi Everyone,
I realize that mass emails are less than desirable, but for some reason, since I'm not an email person, they seem to be the only emails I can reliably get out.
Well, our computer decided to become our own private porn peep show - thus using the Rock Hill library computer. I'm supposed to back up all our files and wipe out our computer and reinstall stuff . . . or something like that. I just know we have two trojans and a virus that have attached themselves to our Windows Operating System - yippee for us!
Addie started preschool today. Since there are so many more stay-at-home moms (or it seems that way anyway), than what we had in Portland, Preschool is a very big deal here. Almost all of the churches offer some sort of preschool program, and most seem pretty good. Addie has joined the ranks of the United Methodists - we'll see if she gets religified or not. There was a parent meeting last night and I learned NOT to go pick up your child during a tornado warning. That in fact, they would not release the child to me in the middle of a tornado . . . All these new things to think about.
Overall things are getting better here. I'm meeting more neighbors and we're a bit more social now (not much more mind you, but a bit). After school gets out, it's a free-for-all in our neighborhood for the kids. They ride down the street on their bike looking to see who's home and able to play. Addie desperately wants to be a big kid. Thankfully, the older kids (at least the girls anyway), are pretty tolerant of her.
On Friday afternoon we decided on the spur of the moment to drive to Myrtle Beach for the weekend (Labor Day weekend mind you). I know lots of people think the Atlantic is beautiful and all, but I have to say they don't have anything on the Oregon coast. That is, unless you like that flat beach, sun and able to swim in the ocean thing . . . We had a good time, but there were loads of people on the beaches and in the water, and I kept thinking about the fact that there are many more sharks on this coast than our old coast.
For those who have not been, Myrtle Beach is kind of like Las Vegas, but without the gambling. There is a lot of shopping, lots of tourist attractions, and it's hot. Jeff talked me into going to Medieval Knights on Sunday night. I thought Addie would be too young for it, but she absolutely loved it! And we got to eat with our hands, since silverware had not been invented in the 11th century (or so they told us).
For those of you who are still reading (as this is a very long and arduous email), here is the big news - I'm pregnant! Turns out I left Oregon knocked up. I'm due in early April, which makes me 9 1/2 weeks along. I realize that this is pretty early to be announcing it, but since I don't have any close friends to share the news with here, it's even harder to keep it from you all. I had my first doctor's appointment last week, and it was utterly uneventful - they didn't do an ultrasound or a fetal heart monitor, and when I asked about it, they looked at me like I was crazy.
The only other slightly interesting news is, Jeff got his hands caught up in a fire ant nest - several non-expletives (since Jeff doesn't swear) later, he got them all off his hands and feet. Apparently we also have Copperhead snakes in our yard. Our next door neighbor came over and warned us that her gardner had just found a nest of Copperheads under their hammock, and perhaps we shouldn't let Addie go out into the backyard for a few days. She was going to put out mothballs to drive them out of her yard (right into ours I'm sure). Jeff thinks he saw a small one when he was mowing, but he's not sure. We've also been told that Copperheads are really aggressive, and instead of running away as most snakes do, they can and will take up chase.
I think that's it. I've come to terms with the fact that my life is pretty dull, so other than run-ins with the wildlife and daily naps, our lives are pretty uneventful.
Hope all of you are well, and I'd love to hear how you're doing.
Much Love,Kate
Sept. 12
Hello and how are things? I'm still emailing from the library, and right now I'm watching a little girl in front of me (under 2 years old I think) alternate between sticking a pen up her nose, in her mouth and then try to stick it in the light socket before her mother stops her. Since I have a better vantage point than her mother, am I obligated to stop her from sticking the pen in the outlet? Such a moral quandary . . .
As part of my, "what do I do while Addie is in school" time, I have been searching for coffee shops. Coming from the land of coffee, it's a little strange to have to drive many miles to get to one. I had a rude awakening on Wednesday - I ordered a mocha at a coffee shop in the grocery store (only one grocery store in town has one) and the girl behind the counter dutifully read off from her handy dandy reference sheet (complete with photos), "steamed, iced or blended?" It then took her a very long time to make said mocha, and in the mean time, an older (but not that old) man came up and was waiting for help and asked me what in tarnation I had ordered, and when I told him, he had said, "a what?" and infact, had never heard of a mocha. Just when you think things are safe . . .
Take care,
Kate
Sept. 26
Hello All,
Okay, so we've had our computer fixed, but it is sitting on the floor of our kitchen - apparently the subject of a Jeff and Kate stand-off. Although the Geek Squad reinstalled our operating system, we still have to install Microsoft, our security system, and all of the other bells and whistles you take for granted. Who wants to do that? And besides, I have to prove I'm more stubborn than Jeff is.
I am sorry to inform you all, that Addie will not be performing in the Little Miss Fort Mill pageant this year. By the time we heard about it, it was too late to enter (we'd have to find her a talent, quaff her hair, get her one of those big poofy dresses, and she'd have to learn to take stage commands). But don't you worry, we'll be ready next year. I was thinking Addie seems to show a natural talent for interpretive dance, and maybe flaming baton twirling . . . Any thoughts on the matter?
For those of you who haven't talked to me in the last week, we have a new member of our family - Bubbles the kitten. A neighbor found her abandoned under a bush, and being the suckers that we are, we took her in. She was two weeks old when we got her, and we have to feed her with a bottle every 2-4 hours. We're supposed to feed her at night too, but we decided that if she ain't bawling, she ain't hungry.
The real reason we agreed to take the cat was because Addie is enamored with and petrified of all animals. She thinks they're great, up until they get within 10 feet of her. We've had major steps though, Addie now pets (ie pokes and pats) Bubbles and will talk to her. She likes to have her in her lap, but won't commit to real kitty strokes, so bubbles either falls off, or crawls away. Right now, her (Bubbles that is) favorite spot is Jeff's neck.
I don't know if any of you are following the news, but there's a gas shortage here. I think it's the biggest bunch of hooey on the face of the earth, but it doesn't change the fact that every gas station in Rock Hill is out of gas. There was some yesterday, but the two hour lines were prohibitive. I'm about three miles from the empty light coming on, but refuse to get into the panic of it all. I believe what we have here is something they call self-fulfilling prophecy. The news channels said we might run out of gas, and low and behold, the run on the stations did it. We have been told there's a big shipment of gas headed our way tonight or tomorrow, but who knows. I was contemplating my options yesterday and the only two I could come up with were, 1) use the mower gas and 2) siphon gas from Jeff's car while he's not looking. I was all set to go with number two, until Jeff informed me that we have anti-siphon gas tanks (whatever that means).
The good news is, we had an ultrasound yesterday, and all is healthy and well (a big relief mind you), and there is only one baby (also known as an alien at this stage) in the oven. I'm past the nauseous stage, and into the gotta eat every 20 minutes phase (although I lost two pounds from appointment to appointment). Our pantry is a testament to my cravings and whims. But honestly, wouldn't you all like your own Costco pumpkin pie?
I know mass emails are no good, but I like to think that I am on some reality show, and you are all my adoring fans waiting for the next installment of "What have we gotten ourselves into?!" Although I am open to new ideas for the title.
Since I have lots of free time, I decided to organize a neighborhood BBQ - on Sunday we are expecting 70+ people at our house for burgers and dogs. When I was talking to my neighbor about planning it, her word of advice was, "you better check the Panther schedule first." Don't worry, the game starts at 1pm and the BBQ is at 5pm.
When there's a Panther game on, no one goes outside, and if something good happens, you hear cheers from all over the neighborhood. We had been warned, but boy do they take their football seriously here.
Hope all is well with each of you.
Love,
Kate
Oct. 13
Hi Y'all (notice the southern twang with which I speak?),
Sorry I haven't emailed in a while. I'd like to tell you it's because we lead such busy lives, but the truth is, it's because I've started taking regular naps . . .
For good or bad, since South Carolina has no fabulous state family leave laws like Oregon, it just doesn't make sense for me to get a job, only to leave in six months, so I'm trying to come to terms with the idea that I'm taking a year off . . . Needless to say, this might be one of the biggest personal challenges I've faced thus far in my life. But being home with Addie (who by the way, the moment she turned two, turned into part holy terror), is an excellent exercise of my patience, so I'm trying to learn and grow from this experience.
I've also decided to become one of those volunteering moms - I baked brownies for the preschool fundraiser, and I have volunteered to be a substitute teacher at the preschool as well. Who knew this is what the South Carolina chapter of our lives would be?
We have gone overboard decorating for Halloween, and have turned our front yard into a graveyard, with new scarier additions each weekend as we get closer to Halloween. I figure since we live in an area where they really trick or treat and have kids galore, we should embrace it. My new goal is to be known as the "Halloween House."
We just bought tickets to fly back to Portland for Christmas, and because of Jeff's awesome holiday schedule, we will get to be in Oregon for two weeks. We did have to sell Addie though to pay for the tickets, but hey, we can always make more of her . . .
Take Care,
Kate
Oct. 13
Subj: When did I become one of those moms?
Hi there,
So after many years of being a die hard pro-career feminist, I've become a brownie baking, preschool volunteering stay at home mom - who knew?
I've decided that since I have so much free time on my hands, I would volunteer for just about everything and anything. So far I've baked brownies for a church/preschool fundraiser and have signed up to be a substitute teacher at the preschool. I had my first subbing day on Friday with the four year olds.
Did I mention that I never ever wanted to be a teacher because, well, I don't actually like children all that much? Well, strangely enough, I thought that although staying home with my own daughter in not actually fulfilling for me, surely being around other peoples kids would be . . . And, amazingly (and I am still stunned by this revelation), it was not. Weird.
But I will endure, as I am now looking at this time off as a chance to grow personally. Since I have never been known as a very patient person, there is no test better than throwing ones self into a deep pool of shark-like four year olds. I am kidding a little though, the 0-4’s are much preferred over the 5+ year old kids.
One of the little girls who was the appointed "door holder" for the day, asked me if it was okay if she kissed some of the other kids as they came through her door. I told her it was absolutely okay, and in fact, they really encouraged indiscriminate kissing in a preschool . . . Upon reflection, perhaps that wasn't the wisest thing to say . . .
We went to the state fair on Saturday, and I'm happy to report that state fairs are state fairs. The only difference being a few more confederate flag T-shirts here.
I'm sad to report that the state fair also had a little person (they called it "Little Princesses and Princes) pageant. Where does one find out about these pageants? Is there a website for this type of thing? I really feel I've missed my calling as a stage mom.
This pageant was on the level of Jean Benette (sp?) - Big curly hair, big poofy dresses and big (I'm talking at least 18 inches) sparkling crowns – forming a mental picture yet?
One of the little girls we watched (and mind you, she probably wasn't more than four) came out on the stage, stepped to the center, and blew the judges a kiss . . .
My favorite part though, was how the judges introduced each of the girls - "and here we have little Miss Ashley Mae Carver who has blond hair and blue eyes. Ashley's hobbies include: coloring, playing with her cat, and cooking."
I thought if Addie were to do this next year, her introduction would sound something like this: "And here we have little miss Addie Sue, a recent transplant from the west coast, but judges, please don't hold that against her, she does after all have blond hair and blue eyes. Addie's hobbies include, throwing food, drawing on walls, and let's not forget, torturing the family cat." Do you think we'd have a chance?
Take care.
Love,
Kate
Nov. 7
Subj: In the running for Domestic Goddess
Hello everyone, and happy post Halloween,
Although we had three hours of trick-or-treating rush, we still have a good five pounds of candy left (admittedly, I may have bought too much). Jeff is on a diet (damn him), so it's up to me and Addie. And since we restrict Addie's candy intake to one a day, it's really up to me to make sure it doesn't hang around until Christmas. We all have to take one for the team now and then.
I realize it's been nearly a month since I last emailed, but I was waiting until I had something interesting to say. Or at least not a drop dead boring email.
As I've mentioned, I am a sub at the preschool, and Wednesday I subbed in the one year old class. It probably would have been fine, had the teacher not kept leaving me alone with the kids. Do I look like someone capable of handling eight one year olds? The only thing I could figure out was that she really didn't like teaching, and she saw an opportunity to take long peaceful breaks throughout the day. Needless to say, I earned every one of my $18.00 that day.
The real trouble came when she left me alone in the activity room. Two of the girls started crying and wanted to be held, and then the two year old class came in to play - which included Addie. Poor Addie has been suffering some serious separation anxiety lately, and there Mom is holding two other girls. Suffice it to say, she wanted up on my lap, and nearly displaced the other little girls (under the pretext of comforting them), meanwhile the other five kids were being beaten by the newly entered two year olds. Why did I sign up for this? I figured out that I could conceivably entertain two to three kids at a time, and the rest were on their own.
Our friends Peter and Loraine came to visit a few weeks ago, and we went to a civil war reenactment. I'm sure it's hard for all of you to believe, but we have our very own historic civil war town/marker 20 miles away. Peter got a field shave (with strap and razor), and they finished him up with a few sips from their flask. In addition to wandering around the camp (I had to hold Jeff back from enlisting us all), they reenacted the Battle of the Wilderness - any history buffs out there know what that was? Basically it's a bunch of guys in costume running around the woods shooting each other. The highlight of the fight was a horse stepping in a hole and getting stuck. It fell over and wouldn't get up for a long time. Needless to say, we're all a little bit deaf after the battle. Between the cannons, the rifles and the pistols, we all heard ringing for some time afterwards. I realized that that was the first violence and/or gun exposure that Addie has had - if it's in the name of history, it doesn't count right? By the way, the horse was fine.
In an effort to use my time wisely, I have endeavored to become a domestic goddess. I have started cooking again, and I had the brilliant idea of making a class quilt for Addie's preschool class. The quilt turned out fine, but with all my sewing projects, you don't want to look too closely. I had a couple of the other moms over to help put it together, and we ended up sewing it backwards twice (don't ask me how that happened). But, since I had just baked fresh pumpkin bread, had cleaned my house, and was making a quilt, I totally snowed the other moms into thinking I was Martha Stewart. Now for those of you who know me, you realize there's something wrong with that picture. Shhhh, don't tell.
We had our 18.9 week ultrasound yesterday, and now know what type of baby we're having. Attached is one of the ultrasound pictures, if you're curious.
I'm afraid my writing mojo is just not as free flowing at home as it is at the library, so I'll cut this email short. Before I forget, in an effort to share the ultrasound video with our families, we resorted to starting a blog. But 14 hours (and I kid you not) later, the video is still uploading (160 MB). I'll be giving up on it later today.
Hope all of you are well.
Much love,
Kate
Nov. 14
Good Morning and Happy Friday,
Well, here's another installment of "What have I gotten myself into?"
I just got back from taking Bubbles to the vet (this cat is about $5.00 away from kitty life-time maximum spending allowance), where I found a delightful magazine called, Garden & Gun . . . No joke, it's a real magazine that purports to represent the "New South." Sadly, I didn't have time to read it, as I got sucked into Bon Appetit' - always trying to increase my Domestic Goddess standing.
Never fear, we'll be back at the vets in three weeks (anyone want a cat who seems to think it's a dog, and may be a little brain damaged?), and I'm going to make sure I get to read it. I'll steal it if I have to. Who knows, with my new life, I may become a regular reader. I wonder if they give any free gifts away with a life-time subscription. There's a dealership here that's giving away a free deer stand with the purchase of a truck, so I figure hope springs eternal with the magazine subscription . . .
During the election, there was a great radio ad in which Hank Williams Jr. came on and reminded all us southern folks that the two most important things were church and the freedom to bare arms, and that since Obama wasn't a southerner, and did not understand this way of life, thus inferring that he was against God and Guns (maybe a new idea for a magazine?). I really don't do the ad justice, but I think you get the drift.
I had what should have been a very depressing day on Tuesday, but strangely, I am at peace with what transpired. Just further proof that aliens have taken over my mind and body. Since Tuesday is a non-preschool day, I try to plan one outing, just to get out of the house. At full brain capacity, I decided it was a good idea to go to Wal-Mart, and then to the mall to play. When did I become one of those mall people? Oh I know, it was last week when I was waiting for a store to open, and found myself walking aimlessly back and forth, talking on my cell phone. I should have felt worse, but I passed (twice) one of the other preschool mothers doing the exact same thing.
Addie managed to lock herself into our walk-in closet (not sure why there's a key lock on the closet), and we don't have a key. Jeff was trying to get ready for work, but all of his work clothes were locked inside with Addie, and the cat. Periodically we’d see Bubbles’ paws poke out from under the door, hear a pained, “meeeooowww” and then Addie say, “Sorry kitty.” That coupled with "I want get out," every few minutes. Only about 25 minutes later, she managed to turn the lock button, and get herself out - which, I might add, she was very proud of.
I'd like to say that Addie has learned to be nice to the kitty, but alas, the scratches on her face and hands are proof to the contrary. Yesterday I caught her sitting on the kitty, trying to pull her out from under her by one paw.
Before I forget, parent tip #1: If you find yourself with permanent marker all over the business side of your CD's and DVD's, rubbing alcohol will get it off.
We finally made it to church on Sunday, and we've all found God . . . Okay, maybe not. The best thing I can say about the service was that it was short. I was surprised, and a little sickened by how much of the focus was on money - specifically donating it to the church. Although, I suppose it takes a lot of money to keep the giant Costco-sized churches up.
Well, I'm off to clean the house. We're having some of Jeff's co-workers over for a BBQ tomorrow, and I have grapefruit topiaries to make . . . eat your heart out Martha Stewart!
Just kidding. I'll probably save the topiaries for Thanksgiving . . .
Have a great weekend!
Kate
Our Big Move, or “What have I gotten myself into?”
July 28
Hello Everyone,
Well, a week later, we finally have internet (there was no wireless to pirate, so we had to actually pay for internet). We also have a new home phone number, but they forgot to tell me what it was when they hooked it up, so I'll let y'all know as soon as I do.
All is well here - unpacking is a pain, but I can't live in the chaos for much longer, so I suppose I'll have to suck it up and empty all of the boxes - right now our bonus room looks like a storage facility and/or dumping ground for used packing paper.
Just in case any of you had any doubts, it's hot here . . . In fact, it's supposed to be 95 degrees today, with the added bonus of lots of humidity. Addie and I can usually only tolerate about 15 minutes outside at a time before we have to come in and enjoy the air conditioning.
There are appetizer-sized bugs here that think I taste good, but have thankfully been avoiding Jeff and Addie. Every time I step in the grass, I come back with at least three new bug bites that itch like crazy. They have wasps here that are an inch (no exaggeration) long and look like they could carry Addie away if they ganged up together.
We're pretty lucky, our development has a lot of green space and walking paths, so we get to see wild-life every day - loads of frogs (even orange ones that look a little poisonous), turtles, deer, rabbits and we saw a falcon in our yard yesterday. We've been told there are snakes all over, but we haven't seen any yet - thankfully!
Although we admit we're being super judgmental, Jeff and I feel like we've moved into Pleasantville and/or Stepford (sp? i.e. The Stepford Wives). Everyone is SOOOO polite, it's enough to put you off and some of the men come off as being a little slick. On the up side, one neighbor brought us homemade bread and another brought us a bucket of peaches. Since there are so many, I thought I would make some peach pie - is it considered polite or rude to bring some pie over to the neighbor who brought the peaches?
Just about everyone we see apologizes for how they're dressed, so Jeff and I are a little nervous about what they think of our casual wear (I've been trying to get Jeff to at least throw out the T-shirts with holes in them).
We've haven't picked up any accents yet, but we've definitely embraced "y'all" as standard for more than one person.
Since it's just Addie and me at home, we're getting a little bored. Although there are a lot (so it seems) of stay-at-home moms, we don't see anyone during the day. I assume it has to do with the heat, but they could just be avoiding us.
We had our first walk-by proselytizing - We met one of the neighbors across the street, and the second thing out of her mouth was (imagine a very strong southern accent), "if y'all are looking for a church, we go to the First Baptist out on Dave Lyle. It's a real nice church, and they have a great children's program." After all the warnings we'd been given about that type of thing, we were surprised that it's only happened once so far.
As for other adjustments, groceries are really expensive here - I paid $4.25/gallon for milk and nearly fell over. Jeff and I got in trouble for trying to buy beer on Sunday - because you can't, it's against the law. I have found the local Wal-Mart and find it just as detestable here as I always have.
The house is fine, but with any house (new or old), we've found some small problems that need immediate attention - the toilet and garbage disposal leak and although there are closets-a-plenty, they only have one small wire shelf in each, so the storage is really poor. Needless to say, Jeff has been keeping pretty busy when he's not at work.
We've seen some pretty fantastic anti-yankee bumper stickers - "If it's tourist season, why can't we shoot them?" and (with a picture of a mosquito), "send more Yankees, they taste good."
I realize this is a pretty long email - sorry. I'm just making up for not having any sort of outlet for the past week+.
Aug. 2, 2008
Hi Everyone,
Well, we've been here now for two weeks, and if I still didn't have unpacking to do, I might just go stir crazy. I think Addie is even getting a little bored with me.
It's hot as blazes, and humid to boot, but there are some pretty fantastic storms (we've had three in the last week - something to do with the hurricanes off the coast). Jeff and I had a particularly bad Monday (see below), so we sat on our porch and watched the lighting, heard the rolling thunder, and got soaking wet. Had any neighbors been watching, they must have thought us insane.
Jeff and I have decided that South Carolina is conspiring to take all of our money. Not only do you have to pay property taxes on your cars (what?), they made me pay sales tax on my Pilot, even though I did not buy it in South Carolina, nor was I a resident at the time. Needless to say, I'll be taking it up with the Revenue Department. Four hours, and too much money later, I finally got SC plates . . . Ugg! That was also right on the heels of a nice letter from the city about an annual back-flow inspection for our sprinklers - who's heard of that? We may have to sell Addie for scientific experiments.
We have some good and bad news about the house - as of Mon 7/28, Hewitt took over ownership, which means it's no longer our hassle to deal with. The bad news is, they have yet to pay us for said house. Silly us, we thought we'd get paid for our house . . .
Our house has some very strange noises and we are not entirely sure it is free of all things supernatural. Last week, I was sitting at the computer and I swear I saw something dash past the door and a moment later an alarm clock (that was sitting in the hall) went off randomly. We also had some very strange garage door problems the first week we were here. I'd close it, and sometime later (an hour, three hours, 15 minutes, etc), it would be open. This went on for several days, and I was already starting to imagine the REAL reasons the last two families had moved out (three owners in seven years is a lot after all). Thankfully, we figured that mystery out. Turns out the old owners still have our garage door programmed into their car buttons, and since they only moved across the street, the button still activated our door.
Our nature walks are the highlight of our day. Needless to say, once we're 100% unpacked, I will be looking for a job.
I think that's it. Hope all of you are doing well. I'd love to hear from you when you have a chance.
Take care,
Kate
Sept. 3
Subj: Greetings from the Rock Hill Public Library
Hi Everyone,
I realize that mass emails are less than desirable, but for some reason, since I'm not an email person, they seem to be the only emails I can reliably get out.
Well, our computer decided to become our own private porn peep show - thus using the Rock Hill library computer. I'm supposed to back up all our files and wipe out our computer and reinstall stuff . . . or something like that. I just know we have two trojans and a virus that have attached themselves to our Windows Operating System - yippee for us!
Addie started preschool today. Since there are so many more stay-at-home moms (or it seems that way anyway), than what we had in Portland, Preschool is a very big deal here. Almost all of the churches offer some sort of preschool program, and most seem pretty good. Addie has joined the ranks of the United Methodists - we'll see if she gets religified or not. There was a parent meeting last night and I learned NOT to go pick up your child during a tornado warning. That in fact, they would not release the child to me in the middle of a tornado . . . All these new things to think about.
Overall things are getting better here. I'm meeting more neighbors and we're a bit more social now (not much more mind you, but a bit). After school gets out, it's a free-for-all in our neighborhood for the kids. They ride down the street on their bike looking to see who's home and able to play. Addie desperately wants to be a big kid. Thankfully, the older kids (at least the girls anyway), are pretty tolerant of her.
On Friday afternoon we decided on the spur of the moment to drive to Myrtle Beach for the weekend (Labor Day weekend mind you). I know lots of people think the Atlantic is beautiful and all, but I have to say they don't have anything on the Oregon coast. That is, unless you like that flat beach, sun and able to swim in the ocean thing . . . We had a good time, but there were loads of people on the beaches and in the water, and I kept thinking about the fact that there are many more sharks on this coast than our old coast.
For those who have not been, Myrtle Beach is kind of like Las Vegas, but without the gambling. There is a lot of shopping, lots of tourist attractions, and it's hot. Jeff talked me into going to Medieval Knights on Sunday night. I thought Addie would be too young for it, but she absolutely loved it! And we got to eat with our hands, since silverware had not been invented in the 11th century (or so they told us).
For those of you who are still reading (as this is a very long and arduous email), here is the big news - I'm pregnant! Turns out I left Oregon knocked up. I'm due in early April, which makes me 9 1/2 weeks along. I realize that this is pretty early to be announcing it, but since I don't have any close friends to share the news with here, it's even harder to keep it from you all. I had my first doctor's appointment last week, and it was utterly uneventful - they didn't do an ultrasound or a fetal heart monitor, and when I asked about it, they looked at me like I was crazy.
The only other slightly interesting news is, Jeff got his hands caught up in a fire ant nest - several non-expletives (since Jeff doesn't swear) later, he got them all off his hands and feet. Apparently we also have Copperhead snakes in our yard. Our next door neighbor came over and warned us that her gardner had just found a nest of Copperheads under their hammock, and perhaps we shouldn't let Addie go out into the backyard for a few days. She was going to put out mothballs to drive them out of her yard (right into ours I'm sure). Jeff thinks he saw a small one when he was mowing, but he's not sure. We've also been told that Copperheads are really aggressive, and instead of running away as most snakes do, they can and will take up chase.
I think that's it. I've come to terms with the fact that my life is pretty dull, so other than run-ins with the wildlife and daily naps, our lives are pretty uneventful.
Hope all of you are well, and I'd love to hear how you're doing.
Much Love,Kate
Sept. 12
Hello and how are things? I'm still emailing from the library, and right now I'm watching a little girl in front of me (under 2 years old I think) alternate between sticking a pen up her nose, in her mouth and then try to stick it in the light socket before her mother stops her. Since I have a better vantage point than her mother, am I obligated to stop her from sticking the pen in the outlet? Such a moral quandary . . .
As part of my, "what do I do while Addie is in school" time, I have been searching for coffee shops. Coming from the land of coffee, it's a little strange to have to drive many miles to get to one. I had a rude awakening on Wednesday - I ordered a mocha at a coffee shop in the grocery store (only one grocery store in town has one) and the girl behind the counter dutifully read off from her handy dandy reference sheet (complete with photos), "steamed, iced or blended?" It then took her a very long time to make said mocha, and in the mean time, an older (but not that old) man came up and was waiting for help and asked me what in tarnation I had ordered, and when I told him, he had said, "a what?" and infact, had never heard of a mocha. Just when you think things are safe . . .
Take care,
Kate
Sept. 26
Hello All,
Okay, so we've had our computer fixed, but it is sitting on the floor of our kitchen - apparently the subject of a Jeff and Kate stand-off. Although the Geek Squad reinstalled our operating system, we still have to install Microsoft, our security system, and all of the other bells and whistles you take for granted. Who wants to do that? And besides, I have to prove I'm more stubborn than Jeff is.
I am sorry to inform you all, that Addie will not be performing in the Little Miss Fort Mill pageant this year. By the time we heard about it, it was too late to enter (we'd have to find her a talent, quaff her hair, get her one of those big poofy dresses, and she'd have to learn to take stage commands). But don't you worry, we'll be ready next year. I was thinking Addie seems to show a natural talent for interpretive dance, and maybe flaming baton twirling . . . Any thoughts on the matter?
For those of you who haven't talked to me in the last week, we have a new member of our family - Bubbles the kitten. A neighbor found her abandoned under a bush, and being the suckers that we are, we took her in. She was two weeks old when we got her, and we have to feed her with a bottle every 2-4 hours. We're supposed to feed her at night too, but we decided that if she ain't bawling, she ain't hungry.
The real reason we agreed to take the cat was because Addie is enamored with and petrified of all animals. She thinks they're great, up until they get within 10 feet of her. We've had major steps though, Addie now pets (ie pokes and pats) Bubbles and will talk to her. She likes to have her in her lap, but won't commit to real kitty strokes, so bubbles either falls off, or crawls away. Right now, her (Bubbles that is) favorite spot is Jeff's neck.
I don't know if any of you are following the news, but there's a gas shortage here. I think it's the biggest bunch of hooey on the face of the earth, but it doesn't change the fact that every gas station in Rock Hill is out of gas. There was some yesterday, but the two hour lines were prohibitive. I'm about three miles from the empty light coming on, but refuse to get into the panic of it all. I believe what we have here is something they call self-fulfilling prophecy. The news channels said we might run out of gas, and low and behold, the run on the stations did it. We have been told there's a big shipment of gas headed our way tonight or tomorrow, but who knows. I was contemplating my options yesterday and the only two I could come up with were, 1) use the mower gas and 2) siphon gas from Jeff's car while he's not looking. I was all set to go with number two, until Jeff informed me that we have anti-siphon gas tanks (whatever that means).
The good news is, we had an ultrasound yesterday, and all is healthy and well (a big relief mind you), and there is only one baby (also known as an alien at this stage) in the oven. I'm past the nauseous stage, and into the gotta eat every 20 minutes phase (although I lost two pounds from appointment to appointment). Our pantry is a testament to my cravings and whims. But honestly, wouldn't you all like your own Costco pumpkin pie?
I know mass emails are no good, but I like to think that I am on some reality show, and you are all my adoring fans waiting for the next installment of "What have we gotten ourselves into?!" Although I am open to new ideas for the title.
Since I have lots of free time, I decided to organize a neighborhood BBQ - on Sunday we are expecting 70+ people at our house for burgers and dogs. When I was talking to my neighbor about planning it, her word of advice was, "you better check the Panther schedule first." Don't worry, the game starts at 1pm and the BBQ is at 5pm.
When there's a Panther game on, no one goes outside, and if something good happens, you hear cheers from all over the neighborhood. We had been warned, but boy do they take their football seriously here.
Hope all is well with each of you.
Love,
Kate
Oct. 13
Hi Y'all (notice the southern twang with which I speak?),
Sorry I haven't emailed in a while. I'd like to tell you it's because we lead such busy lives, but the truth is, it's because I've started taking regular naps . . .
For good or bad, since South Carolina has no fabulous state family leave laws like Oregon, it just doesn't make sense for me to get a job, only to leave in six months, so I'm trying to come to terms with the idea that I'm taking a year off . . . Needless to say, this might be one of the biggest personal challenges I've faced thus far in my life. But being home with Addie (who by the way, the moment she turned two, turned into part holy terror), is an excellent exercise of my patience, so I'm trying to learn and grow from this experience.
I've also decided to become one of those volunteering moms - I baked brownies for the preschool fundraiser, and I have volunteered to be a substitute teacher at the preschool as well. Who knew this is what the South Carolina chapter of our lives would be?
We have gone overboard decorating for Halloween, and have turned our front yard into a graveyard, with new scarier additions each weekend as we get closer to Halloween. I figure since we live in an area where they really trick or treat and have kids galore, we should embrace it. My new goal is to be known as the "Halloween House."
We just bought tickets to fly back to Portland for Christmas, and because of Jeff's awesome holiday schedule, we will get to be in Oregon for two weeks. We did have to sell Addie though to pay for the tickets, but hey, we can always make more of her . . .
Take Care,
Kate
Oct. 13
Subj: When did I become one of those moms?
Hi there,
So after many years of being a die hard pro-career feminist, I've become a brownie baking, preschool volunteering stay at home mom - who knew?
I've decided that since I have so much free time on my hands, I would volunteer for just about everything and anything. So far I've baked brownies for a church/preschool fundraiser and have signed up to be a substitute teacher at the preschool. I had my first subbing day on Friday with the four year olds.
Did I mention that I never ever wanted to be a teacher because, well, I don't actually like children all that much? Well, strangely enough, I thought that although staying home with my own daughter in not actually fulfilling for me, surely being around other peoples kids would be . . . And, amazingly (and I am still stunned by this revelation), it was not. Weird.
But I will endure, as I am now looking at this time off as a chance to grow personally. Since I have never been known as a very patient person, there is no test better than throwing ones self into a deep pool of shark-like four year olds. I am kidding a little though, the 0-4’s are much preferred over the 5+ year old kids.
One of the little girls who was the appointed "door holder" for the day, asked me if it was okay if she kissed some of the other kids as they came through her door. I told her it was absolutely okay, and in fact, they really encouraged indiscriminate kissing in a preschool . . . Upon reflection, perhaps that wasn't the wisest thing to say . . .
We went to the state fair on Saturday, and I'm happy to report that state fairs are state fairs. The only difference being a few more confederate flag T-shirts here.
I'm sad to report that the state fair also had a little person (they called it "Little Princesses and Princes) pageant. Where does one find out about these pageants? Is there a website for this type of thing? I really feel I've missed my calling as a stage mom.
This pageant was on the level of Jean Benette (sp?) - Big curly hair, big poofy dresses and big (I'm talking at least 18 inches) sparkling crowns – forming a mental picture yet?
One of the little girls we watched (and mind you, she probably wasn't more than four) came out on the stage, stepped to the center, and blew the judges a kiss . . .
My favorite part though, was how the judges introduced each of the girls - "and here we have little Miss Ashley Mae Carver who has blond hair and blue eyes. Ashley's hobbies include: coloring, playing with her cat, and cooking."
I thought if Addie were to do this next year, her introduction would sound something like this: "And here we have little miss Addie Sue, a recent transplant from the west coast, but judges, please don't hold that against her, she does after all have blond hair and blue eyes. Addie's hobbies include, throwing food, drawing on walls, and let's not forget, torturing the family cat." Do you think we'd have a chance?
Take care.
Love,
Kate
Nov. 7
Subj: In the running for Domestic Goddess
Hello everyone, and happy post Halloween,
Although we had three hours of trick-or-treating rush, we still have a good five pounds of candy left (admittedly, I may have bought too much). Jeff is on a diet (damn him), so it's up to me and Addie. And since we restrict Addie's candy intake to one a day, it's really up to me to make sure it doesn't hang around until Christmas. We all have to take one for the team now and then.
I realize it's been nearly a month since I last emailed, but I was waiting until I had something interesting to say. Or at least not a drop dead boring email.
As I've mentioned, I am a sub at the preschool, and Wednesday I subbed in the one year old class. It probably would have been fine, had the teacher not kept leaving me alone with the kids. Do I look like someone capable of handling eight one year olds? The only thing I could figure out was that she really didn't like teaching, and she saw an opportunity to take long peaceful breaks throughout the day. Needless to say, I earned every one of my $18.00 that day.
The real trouble came when she left me alone in the activity room. Two of the girls started crying and wanted to be held, and then the two year old class came in to play - which included Addie. Poor Addie has been suffering some serious separation anxiety lately, and there Mom is holding two other girls. Suffice it to say, she wanted up on my lap, and nearly displaced the other little girls (under the pretext of comforting them), meanwhile the other five kids were being beaten by the newly entered two year olds. Why did I sign up for this? I figured out that I could conceivably entertain two to three kids at a time, and the rest were on their own.
Our friends Peter and Loraine came to visit a few weeks ago, and we went to a civil war reenactment. I'm sure it's hard for all of you to believe, but we have our very own historic civil war town/marker 20 miles away. Peter got a field shave (with strap and razor), and they finished him up with a few sips from their flask. In addition to wandering around the camp (I had to hold Jeff back from enlisting us all), they reenacted the Battle of the Wilderness - any history buffs out there know what that was? Basically it's a bunch of guys in costume running around the woods shooting each other. The highlight of the fight was a horse stepping in a hole and getting stuck. It fell over and wouldn't get up for a long time. Needless to say, we're all a little bit deaf after the battle. Between the cannons, the rifles and the pistols, we all heard ringing for some time afterwards. I realized that that was the first violence and/or gun exposure that Addie has had - if it's in the name of history, it doesn't count right? By the way, the horse was fine.
In an effort to use my time wisely, I have endeavored to become a domestic goddess. I have started cooking again, and I had the brilliant idea of making a class quilt for Addie's preschool class. The quilt turned out fine, but with all my sewing projects, you don't want to look too closely. I had a couple of the other moms over to help put it together, and we ended up sewing it backwards twice (don't ask me how that happened). But, since I had just baked fresh pumpkin bread, had cleaned my house, and was making a quilt, I totally snowed the other moms into thinking I was Martha Stewart. Now for those of you who know me, you realize there's something wrong with that picture. Shhhh, don't tell.
We had our 18.9 week ultrasound yesterday, and now know what type of baby we're having. Attached is one of the ultrasound pictures, if you're curious.
I'm afraid my writing mojo is just not as free flowing at home as it is at the library, so I'll cut this email short. Before I forget, in an effort to share the ultrasound video with our families, we resorted to starting a blog. But 14 hours (and I kid you not) later, the video is still uploading (160 MB). I'll be giving up on it later today.
Hope all of you are well.
Much love,
Kate
Nov. 14
Good Morning and Happy Friday,
Well, here's another installment of "What have I gotten myself into?"
I just got back from taking Bubbles to the vet (this cat is about $5.00 away from kitty life-time maximum spending allowance), where I found a delightful magazine called, Garden & Gun . . . No joke, it's a real magazine that purports to represent the "New South." Sadly, I didn't have time to read it, as I got sucked into Bon Appetit' - always trying to increase my Domestic Goddess standing.
Never fear, we'll be back at the vets in three weeks (anyone want a cat who seems to think it's a dog, and may be a little brain damaged?), and I'm going to make sure I get to read it. I'll steal it if I have to. Who knows, with my new life, I may become a regular reader. I wonder if they give any free gifts away with a life-time subscription. There's a dealership here that's giving away a free deer stand with the purchase of a truck, so I figure hope springs eternal with the magazine subscription . . .
During the election, there was a great radio ad in which Hank Williams Jr. came on and reminded all us southern folks that the two most important things were church and the freedom to bare arms, and that since Obama wasn't a southerner, and did not understand this way of life, thus inferring that he was against God and Guns (maybe a new idea for a magazine?). I really don't do the ad justice, but I think you get the drift.
I had what should have been a very depressing day on Tuesday, but strangely, I am at peace with what transpired. Just further proof that aliens have taken over my mind and body. Since Tuesday is a non-preschool day, I try to plan one outing, just to get out of the house. At full brain capacity, I decided it was a good idea to go to Wal-Mart, and then to the mall to play. When did I become one of those mall people? Oh I know, it was last week when I was waiting for a store to open, and found myself walking aimlessly back and forth, talking on my cell phone. I should have felt worse, but I passed (twice) one of the other preschool mothers doing the exact same thing.
Addie managed to lock herself into our walk-in closet (not sure why there's a key lock on the closet), and we don't have a key. Jeff was trying to get ready for work, but all of his work clothes were locked inside with Addie, and the cat. Periodically we’d see Bubbles’ paws poke out from under the door, hear a pained, “meeeooowww” and then Addie say, “Sorry kitty.” That coupled with "I want get out," every few minutes. Only about 25 minutes later, she managed to turn the lock button, and get herself out - which, I might add, she was very proud of.
I'd like to say that Addie has learned to be nice to the kitty, but alas, the scratches on her face and hands are proof to the contrary. Yesterday I caught her sitting on the kitty, trying to pull her out from under her by one paw.
Before I forget, parent tip #1: If you find yourself with permanent marker all over the business side of your CD's and DVD's, rubbing alcohol will get it off.
We finally made it to church on Sunday, and we've all found God . . . Okay, maybe not. The best thing I can say about the service was that it was short. I was surprised, and a little sickened by how much of the focus was on money - specifically donating it to the church. Although, I suppose it takes a lot of money to keep the giant Costco-sized churches up.
Well, I'm off to clean the house. We're having some of Jeff's co-workers over for a BBQ tomorrow, and I have grapefruit topiaries to make . . . eat your heart out Martha Stewart!
Just kidding. I'll probably save the topiaries for Thanksgiving . . .
Have a great weekend!
Kate
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