Board Maker

arrived

Labor Day with Patricia

Yay! Ewbliette had today off ! We had a chance to hang out and it was really sweet!

We started off around eleven (she slept in till ten!), with some Tyoma time. We're prepping for my Cali trip, she's going to give Mom a little break during the weekend we'll be gone. I know Grandma and Grandpa love the little one, but he can really wear a person out!

I made us coffees and we gabbed until Mom arrived. We decided on lunch at Chiles, and celebrated with a fried cheese (Good Lord!) and identical main courses (Chicken Loose Bowel Wraps). I usually love the ribs, but after my Outback Upchuck*, I decided to pass.

After lunch, we dashed over to Barnes and Nobel, where I resolved not to buy anything. We had a blast clothes shopping for Ewbliett, who picked up a gaggle of cute outfits for work. I can tell you one reason we are such good buds--we both shop the same way. When it comes to clothes, we are very pragmatic and sensible. When it comes to books, the weirder, the better!

At the last minute, I wound up recruiting Ewbliette as an emergency babysitter for tomorrow evening. Tennisfiend's old professor from Moscow State University will be in town tomorrow, and since he is a friend of the family, all of us will be dining at La Posta tomorrow. Bless her for stepping up!



  * Both Mom and I felt sick after our meal at the Outback Steakhouse. I tossed my cookies a few hours after dinner. Ewbliette said that a girlfiend can't eat their ribs due to the amount of MSG in them. Huhn!

Thank You Olya!

Our friend Olya, sent lovely birthday greetings for Tyoma: She handmade this quilted pillow for our squirmy baby! It's soft, sweet and very pretty! Thank you so much for the precious, thoughtful present!

What is especially lovely is the Paul Klee design going on!

Outback With My Birth Partners

 Yesterday evening I took Momfiend and out for dinner at the Outback Steakhouse. If you'll notice, Momfiend has a can of bear-spray with her. Upon seeing the photo, a shocked exclaimed, "Was your mom worried about being mugged in the parking lot?!" No, actually, Mom said that she "brought the bearspray since we were going to the Outback." Hee! Mom, you so crazy!

The three us us had a marvelous time. We should meet every year to celebrate our work together in bringing Tyoma into the world. Ewbliette and I asked Mom to tell her birth story repeatedly, but we kept getting sidetracked. Maybe we'll keep meeting just so Mom can finish her story! I am so grateful to my girls for being there for me. Till those labor pains rock your bones, you don't realize just how much you need the ones you love! Much thanks to Mom's sturdy arms that held firm my flailing leg and much thanks to Ewbliette's indefatigable vocal cords that kept me pushing 1-2-3, 4-5-6, 7-8-9! I love you guys!

Thanks Helen!

My friend and former colleague Helen sent Tyoma a birthday gift. Since he's been watching it since I brought it home, we let him open it first.






Tah-dah! Helen hand-made some special things for Tyoma: two hooded towels with cute decals and a plethora of decorated lap/burp pads. Very sweet and really useful!

Happy Birthday Moosh

It seems like I've spent most of this week scrambling to put together birthday surprises for my two guys.  Last year I ordered a heap of outdoor grill goodies for Egor, including an extensive range of esoteric accessories, that save for one, we have used regularly.  This year we are stone broke, so such luxury is an impossibility. I even speculate that we might need to either auction off our grill-ware or start catering out of our back yard.

So, to treat Egor, I focused on the pragmatic.  What does that mean? Pillows! Yep, I'm replacing the battered, pancaked pillow his mama sent him years ago with fresh springy marshmallowy pillows. 

E's one of those fellows who likes firm pillows. You know, the unyielding mattress-like pillows that jolt your spine into rectangular alignment.  They are the type that are either very expensive and feature the word "therapeutic" on them or are bargain priced and "made in China."  I guess the difference is how long-lived they are, but if they last for six months and don't smell like naphtha, they'll do.

So lucky me, I go to JCP and find, on sale, a pillow certain to contain several geese worth of feathers.  Actually, considering the price, it's probably Freebreezed chicken feathers, but it's lovely.  I splurged a tiny bit on some shower gel at Dillards, Ambre, pour Hommes.  Smells great!  It's nice to find a scent fresh and modern that doesn't smell insecticidal.

So, tonight we had a lovely home-cooked dinner, thanks to mom: scallops wrapped in thick, organic uncured bacon ( my mom rocks!), asparagus and corn on the cob with tons of melted butter.  I sent the birthday cake to work, since I am still watching my carbs, but wine doesn't count, does it? Sauvingon Blanc, ice cold.  We are sure to toast my folks, who have been so helpful to us!

Family Heirlooms

 

When I visited with the folks today, Dad brought out a surprise wrapped in faded tissue. His baby spoon and fork! I should have put a penny down for scale, but they are the sweetest little things! Dad said that they've been in his family since the turn of the century. I'll probaby look up the info on the reverse side of the utensils and geek out later. :D

Bug Jar

About a month ago our Dustbuster died. Normally, we’d just buy a new handvac without a second thought. However, since our income is only a fraction of what it once was, a Dustbuster would be an extravagance. So I pick up all the dead crickets, roaches, beetles, sunspiders and scorpions by hand. Brrrrrr.

Last night, after picking up the tenth bug of the day, I made a bet with my husband. If I could collect forty bugs in a week, he would buy me a new Dustbuster. Day one was a smashing success. I collected six crickets, a roach, two spiders and four click beetles for my bug jar.

Day two was leaner—three crickets and two click beetles. Day three I amassed two click beetles and a spider. Day four I got desperate. That evening, I saw a roach in the sunroom. Since it wasn’t officially dead, I smacked it with my shoe to add to the bug jar. Day five I awoke to find that last night’s roach was simply addled and not dead. He spent the balance of the night eating the other bugs I collected. Wah!

Day six Mom and Dad showed up with a brand new Dustbuster. I am totally spoiled!

"Percy...Who's Queen?"

Thank you clarke-mas for the Amazon gift certificate! I picked out:

 

 

1. Black Adder II For shame! A shame that it has taken me this long to upgrade my Black Adder collection to DVD! Tennisfiend and I watched three episodes last night. “You have a woman’s purse, Milord..." Hee!
2. E.F. Benson A book of Short horror fiction by on of my favorite Victorian authors, E.F. Benson. This will replace the battered mass market paperback mouldering by my bedside.
3. Brian Hodge Another book of short horror fiction! This one is from a smaller press, Nightshade Books. I've read Hodge anthologized, but this is the first collection of his I've gotten my hands on. Yay!  
4. Horror Writers Association: How to Write Horror I won't be publishing horror fiction anymore than Clarke-mas will be launching a (full scale!) U-boat.

Coming soon..Adventure Jill's House of Wax Hoppy Toads.Wish me luck!

Baby Books!

Yay Mom and Dad! Much thanks to them for the load of baby books they bought for Tyoma! After reading Violet's House and every Priddy cloth book evah, ten thousand times over, I am so grateful to have something new to look at! Thanks a million!

1. Quiet/Loud What a sweet little book on opposites! It’s funny and very colorful.
2. Big/Little By the same folks as Quiet/Loud. Bright, playful images.
3. Little Rabbit Lost A board book with a story about getting lost and coming home again.
4. I Stink A story about a dump truck’s daily duties. Another colorful, funny book.
5. Goodnight Gorilla Probably my favorite book. Goodnight, Gorilla is an extended book of pictures that allows you to tell your own story. The illustrations are vivid and are absolutely precious!

2007-04-18 19:48:00

My birthday present for 2007, from my hubby and mommy and daddy:
 
  A slightly different view, because I know you care:

My Birthday

 I am waaay to old! Surprising me with an afternoon call, Ewbliette invited me to spend girl time together. Tennisfiend delighted me with a big bouquet of flowers. My inbox held more well-wishes, Fontessa and company sent the lovely image above (from her garden)and the other Moskvichi sent poems and well wishes. To top off an excellent day, Mom and Dad gifted me with enough funding to make my bedroom project a reality. Yay!

Post-Birthday Gratitude

For the past month I’ve been playing with my birthday gift--a generous contribution to gardening budget (thank you Tennisfiend!). Every fall and spring, I spend several hours daily tending to my beloved rock and flower gardens.

This fall, I was too wiped out for my ritual devotions, resulting in the mass extinction of some of my lovelier specimens. So, I was especially delighted with the gift and have been working overtime restore and improve my neglected garden. Unfortunately, the New Mexico climate has shifted back into “hot mode,” so I am exiled indoors for the next several months.

May I continue briefly with some post-birthday happiness? Much appreciation to for lunch and gardening support. Thank you and family for the lovely blue flowers and enigmatic poem. And congratulations to for the history making birthday remembrance! And finally, word to the Moosh for the DVDs. I have been aching for a copy Charisma for nearly a year now and the remastered, digitized, pimped-out new version of Carl Sagan’s Cosmos, brought tears to my eyes. Thank you, all!

Christmas Card Happiness!

Thank you goregalx for your super-sweet card! Between the hot buttered fun and the rum balls, I'm bound to have a very happy holiday season! Yay! Hope my modest greetings arrive soon! *hugs* Lori

Yay! New Computer! Yay!

My wonderful new desktop arrived!!! Hooray! Just in time, my poor laptop was fading fast. I shall now embark on an installation and file transfer frenzy. Gosh, I sure hope my bookmarks can be imported without any problems. I guess I collect gazillions of 'em since the word "book" half of "bookmark." I can't live without a single one! Yay!!!