I made a HORRIBLE MISTAKE! Our big TV shift lasted one evening. I was so miserable with no TV in our room that I didn't sleep at all Saturday night. I LIKE curling up on the bed and watching a movie. I LIKE having the cats curled up next to us on the bed. The only real problem I had was once I was ready to read and/or go to sleep I DON'T LIKE having to listen to the TV. Why all of this didn't occur to me before we paid the Direct TV service call charge I'm not sure. It almost seems like I had to have it taken away before I realized how much I needed it.
So Jav spent part of his Saturday with the service tech while he moved everything around, then we spent two hours Sunday changing it all back. What a waste of time, effort and money. But I'm very impressed that the two of us got everything working again. And Jav had the great idea of switching TV's so that he can use his wireless headphones if he wants to watch after I'm reading. (My old one we had been using in the bedroom didn't have a jack to plug them in). So the planets are aligned again, we relaxed and watched The Office last night, in our bed with Zoe curled up with us, and all was right with the world.
I'm really lucky to be married to someone with a never-ending supply of patience. And understanding. And TV/DVD technical skills.
Monday, January 28, 2008
Saturday, January 26, 2008
Customer Service - dos and don'ts
We had the Direct TV guy come today to move our DVR (no more bedroom TV watching - sob). This guy was quiet, quick, efficient, and even came up with a way to save us a little bit of money. I was very impressed, seeing that the last episode I had with a service technician in the house was a disaster. I meant to do a post about it when it happened, but I may have blocked the episode out for awhile.
The guy poorly trained in Customer Service worked for our A/C and Heater service company. He was supposed to come twice a year, once in the spring to check out the A/C, and once in the fall to look at the heater. He had already been here twice, and had managed to piss me off both times. He had a very smug demeanor and was constantly talking about the fact that he just KNEW he had been in our house before and remembered our unit, but never about anything substantial, like how said unit was working and holding up. The second time he was here, he noticed we had a wasps' nest on our back porch and offered to spray it for me. I know he was trying to be nice, but I like our wasps to be around. I may be weird, but I like not disturbing the ecosystem of our yard. We don't bother them, and they don't bother us. So I said, no thank you, I'd rather he not spray them. He pressed a few more times, and I politely held my ground. And he left.
So the last time he came, I should have remembered this exchange and watched him closer. First off, he kept complaining that we had a faulty thermostat. I told him what the trick was to set it, but he just kept complaining about it. So when he was almost done, I asked him what should I do about the faulty thermostat. He said that I should probably get a new one. Well, you can't pay for advice like that, my friend. Not a word about how or where, or that they didn't sell them but I could go to Lowe's, or anything.
THEN as he was walking back inside from his truck where he had written up my bill, he noticed our wasp nest on the front porch. He then took it upon himself to spray a mother lode of pesticide all over the nest and anything else within a 10 foot radius. He then proudly told me what he had done, and I was so mad I could only look at him. Which is the thing that really made me the maddest, that I couldn't lay into him like I really wanted to that this was MY house and how dare he do something like that without asking and that we never use chemicals around the baby, etc.... No, I just sat in stunned angry silence and signed the service agreement then watched him drive away, as he probably thought to himself what a wonderful person he was for helping out a helpless female who didn't even know she had a huge wasp nest on her front porch.
Needless to say, Jav is currently looking for a new A/C and heater service company. And I need to work on not being afraid to shout at people if they deserve it. Except for if it's my husband.
The guy poorly trained in Customer Service worked for our A/C and Heater service company. He was supposed to come twice a year, once in the spring to check out the A/C, and once in the fall to look at the heater. He had already been here twice, and had managed to piss me off both times. He had a very smug demeanor and was constantly talking about the fact that he just KNEW he had been in our house before and remembered our unit, but never about anything substantial, like how said unit was working and holding up. The second time he was here, he noticed we had a wasps' nest on our back porch and offered to spray it for me. I know he was trying to be nice, but I like our wasps to be around. I may be weird, but I like not disturbing the ecosystem of our yard. We don't bother them, and they don't bother us. So I said, no thank you, I'd rather he not spray them. He pressed a few more times, and I politely held my ground. And he left.
So the last time he came, I should have remembered this exchange and watched him closer. First off, he kept complaining that we had a faulty thermostat. I told him what the trick was to set it, but he just kept complaining about it. So when he was almost done, I asked him what should I do about the faulty thermostat. He said that I should probably get a new one. Well, you can't pay for advice like that, my friend. Not a word about how or where, or that they didn't sell them but I could go to Lowe's, or anything.
THEN as he was walking back inside from his truck where he had written up my bill, he noticed our wasp nest on the front porch. He then took it upon himself to spray a mother lode of pesticide all over the nest and anything else within a 10 foot radius. He then proudly told me what he had done, and I was so mad I could only look at him. Which is the thing that really made me the maddest, that I couldn't lay into him like I really wanted to that this was MY house and how dare he do something like that without asking and that we never use chemicals around the baby, etc.... No, I just sat in stunned angry silence and signed the service agreement then watched him drive away, as he probably thought to himself what a wonderful person he was for helping out a helpless female who didn't even know she had a huge wasp nest on her front porch.
Needless to say, Jav is currently looking for a new A/C and heater service company. And I need to work on not being afraid to shout at people if they deserve it. Except for if it's my husband.
Monday, January 21, 2008
Local eating isn't actually so local after all
We try to buy our produce from the Haltom City Farmers' Market whenever we have the time to get over there. It's been there forever, and seems to be a very efficiently run business. I have been slowly getting to know the ladies that ring up my produce over the last couple of months (they love flirting with Gabriel), and finally asked a question that's been on my mind for awhile now. I wanted to know if most of their inventory was produced locally. I made the assumption that if it didn't have a label or sticker on it saying, "made in Chile" or "California grown" or whatever that it was locally grown. Well, I was wrong. She said it just depends, and that during the winter alot of stuff is shipped in from all over, and it might not necessarily be labeled.
That truly bites! Here I am thinking I'm supporting local farmers and purchasing food that hasn't traveled very far, and I now feel like I've been duped. But the thing is, I LOVE shopping there. I guess I need to check out a couple of the other Farmers' Markets and ask my question again before I decide whether or not to go back.
That truly bites! Here I am thinking I'm supporting local farmers and purchasing food that hasn't traveled very far, and I now feel like I've been duped. But the thing is, I LOVE shopping there. I guess I need to check out a couple of the other Farmers' Markets and ask my question again before I decide whether or not to go back.
Thursday, January 17, 2008
A radical shift
Next weekend we will embark upon a household shift of such massive proportions it may feel like an earthquake has hit us. We have decided to remove the television from our bedroom (insert dramatic music - Dah, Dah Dum Dum.) I have been wanting this to happen for a long time, but never had the nerve to ask Jav about it because I never thought he would go for it. He is the one who likes to get sleepy with the TV on. I think having the TV on makes me have a much more restless night, and I would rather read to get myself sleepy. So when I was half asleep one night I mentioned how nice it would be if we moved our DVR to the living room TV and watched in there, and then the bedroom would be a much more restful place. He was ok with it!
So a week from Saturday we have the Direct TV person coming to move our DVR. We'll also be switching TV's because the color on the living room set has been going out for two years now. Then we're going to rearrange our bedroom, removing the TV armoire for good. We already rearranged our living room so that we'd each have huge comfy spaces to watch TV (before all I had was a very cold and uncomfortable leather couch.) I have been wanting to enjoy my oversized red chair since we purchased it almost two years ago, but so far it has mostly been used for cat beds. But the cats better watch out, because my butt will be taking over now. I'm sure unwinding in the living room will take a little getting used to, but I also am hoping it will lead to more reading and less TV for both of us. What it will cut out is the late-night channel surfing, when your brain has already turned to mush so much that you don't realize you need to be asleep.
I guess it could also turn out to be one of the biggest mistakes I've ever made. We'll see.
So a week from Saturday we have the Direct TV person coming to move our DVR. We'll also be switching TV's because the color on the living room set has been going out for two years now. Then we're going to rearrange our bedroom, removing the TV armoire for good. We already rearranged our living room so that we'd each have huge comfy spaces to watch TV (before all I had was a very cold and uncomfortable leather couch.) I have been wanting to enjoy my oversized red chair since we purchased it almost two years ago, but so far it has mostly been used for cat beds. But the cats better watch out, because my butt will be taking over now. I'm sure unwinding in the living room will take a little getting used to, but I also am hoping it will lead to more reading and less TV for both of us. What it will cut out is the late-night channel surfing, when your brain has already turned to mush so much that you don't realize you need to be asleep.
I guess it could also turn out to be one of the biggest mistakes I've ever made. We'll see.
Monday, January 14, 2008
Why I love old houses
You would never find this attached to a built-in garage workshop area in a new house. 
So you would never have these.Saturday, January 12, 2008
A few belated holiday pictures
Tito showing off his new hat, and Gabriel showing off his Christmas belly.
Santa brought him a new sandbox, but forgot the sand. Bad Santa!
We started a new tradition last year of going to River Legacy Park for a walk on Christmas Day. Gabriel was feeling tired from all the excitement of the morning. But Molly was happy and raring to go!
My neice Macy was sweet enough to let Gabriel play with her activity table. She's SOOOO cute and so sweet - I may steal her one day.
My nephew Cade, all grown up now. He turned 6 a few weeks ago. He really got into Christmas this year, especially considering Santa visits him at 3 or 4 different households. What happened to that fat little baby boy?
Friday, January 11, 2008
You can't beat a good old movie
Last night I got hooked on a movie on Turner Movie Classics called The Clock. It starred Judy Garland, who I just finished watching in Meet Me in St. Louis. The movie was about a soldier who was on leave in New York City for 48 hours, was set up on a date with Judy Garland's character (they met under the clock at the Waldorf Astoria hotel, hence the title), fell in love and got married just before he shipped out again. I was so wrapped up in this movie it was ridiculous. I think Judy Garland is just about the best crier as far as actresses go (it makes you wonder just how tragic her actual life really was). There's one scene where the two have become separated, and she doesn't even know his last name and realizes she has no way to find him... Well, suffice it to say she had me reduced to a big puddle of tears. Sometimes it feels good to have a good cry while watching a movie. And it had a good ending-at least I thought so.
The proof that I am a cooking geek
While my husband was getting his last steroid shot to (hopefully) relieve the pain from the herniated disc in his neck, I was browsing the nearby Half Price Books to spend one of my gift cards from Christmas. I got one used CD (Brazilian classical guitar - but I'm kicking myself for not getting the Best of Elvis Costello - the early years), two books for Gabriel that he absolutely loved from the get-go (go Mommy) and one cookbook. It's called "Best Ever Three and Four Ingredient Cookbook" by Jenny White and Joanna Farrow. I was so excited about finding this book. I've been looking for some simple, relatively healthy recipes that don't use a gazillion ingredients, to save both money and time. This book is exactly what I've been searching for. I stayed up late two nights in a row to read through the whole thing, and I don't give up my sleeping hours for many things. I knew this book wasn't published in the U.S. (it's from Australia) because they use "aubergine" instead of eggplant, and "rocket" instead of arugula. But that just made it all the more interesting. I can't wait to try some recipes out now.
I also bought the cheery little recipe box pictured above from the Children's Art Project at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center. I know I will never have time to copy my favorite recipes onto 3 x 5 cards, so I'm using instead to plan dinners for the week. I changed the main index card titles to match my categories of dinners - Pastas, Sandwiches, Soups, Pizzas, Slow Cooker Favorites, etc... Then I sharpened my pencil and got to work adding my favorite recipe titles and what cookbook to find them in. There's plenty of room to add new ones, and extra index cards if I think of more titles. I have had such great pleasure in working on this little project. Anything that has to do with cooking doesn't seem like a chore to me.
I also bought the cheery little recipe box pictured above from the Children's Art Project at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center. I know I will never have time to copy my favorite recipes onto 3 x 5 cards, so I'm using instead to plan dinners for the week. I changed the main index card titles to match my categories of dinners - Pastas, Sandwiches, Soups, Pizzas, Slow Cooker Favorites, etc... Then I sharpened my pencil and got to work adding my favorite recipe titles and what cookbook to find them in. There's plenty of room to add new ones, and extra index cards if I think of more titles. I have had such great pleasure in working on this little project. Anything that has to do with cooking doesn't seem like a chore to me.
Friday, January 04, 2008
Starting over
I have a tendency to jump into things and want to be good at them right away. Cooking, tennis, guitar lessons... the list could go on and on. Most of the time I get frustrated and either quit or never learn the right way of doing the thing and stumble along trying to keep up. Cooking is one of the few things I stuck with through the hard part of learning and trial and error, and now I'm getting pretty good at it, if I do say so myself.
Guitar lessons were sort of like piano lessons way back when. The lessons themselves were fun, but I never wanted to practice. Same thing when Jav and I took two-step lessons. So everything I learned has fallen completely by the way-side. Gabriel has shown a real interest in my guitar, though, as it sits gathering dust in our family room. He never misses an opportunity to strum it as he's barreling by. This has made me want to review some of the things I learned, but not enough to actually act yet. I have at least learned in my old age that if you do not want to learn something for yourself, it will probably be tedious.
Tennis is a bit different in that I think I have potential to get pretty good, if I will ever get off my high-horse and take some beginners lessons. I never learned how to place my feet correctly, or how to hold my racket correctly, or how to serve correctly, or really anything. Despite all of this I still do pretty well whenever I play. I heard a story about how you can really improve your game (not just in tennis, but in all sports), if you visualize yourself playing really well. I think this works for me. But I know I would be just so much better if I had some good form. Maybe one day.
Yoga is something I jumped into also, just to add something different to my workout routine at the time. I only thought about how it would help me physically, and started doing an intermediate tape at home. Which means, once again, that I skipped over some pretty important basics about yoga. Like form and breathing techniques and the whole meditation thing. BUT since it's something I started learning more about, I have decided to see if I can completely start over at something and learn it right for once.
Jav's family got me a wonderful book called "Essential Yoga: An Illustrated Guide" by Olivia H. Miller for Christmas that is helping me do this. It is very simple to follow, and has great illustrations of breathing techniques, warm-up stretches, poses and meditations. I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to give yoga a try. I'm starting off very slow with breathing and warm-ups, which I NEVER did before. Then I do a few poses, just like the book shows, and end with some short meditations.
I don't think I will now ever give up on yoga like I have on so many things. I has become a very important part of my life, and I am really starting to feel the differences. Not just in my toning, flexibility and balance, but in a calmness I feel that I've never felt before. I'm actually starting to pay attention to whether I'm taking short breaths (especially when I'm stressed out about something) and if so I try to slow myself down by slowing my breathing down. I'm also not having as many negative thoughts as I used to, which can make you feel so much better about life. It feels good to know I stuck with something this time, and it's really making a difference.
Guitar lessons were sort of like piano lessons way back when. The lessons themselves were fun, but I never wanted to practice. Same thing when Jav and I took two-step lessons. So everything I learned has fallen completely by the way-side. Gabriel has shown a real interest in my guitar, though, as it sits gathering dust in our family room. He never misses an opportunity to strum it as he's barreling by. This has made me want to review some of the things I learned, but not enough to actually act yet. I have at least learned in my old age that if you do not want to learn something for yourself, it will probably be tedious.
Tennis is a bit different in that I think I have potential to get pretty good, if I will ever get off my high-horse and take some beginners lessons. I never learned how to place my feet correctly, or how to hold my racket correctly, or how to serve correctly, or really anything. Despite all of this I still do pretty well whenever I play. I heard a story about how you can really improve your game (not just in tennis, but in all sports), if you visualize yourself playing really well. I think this works for me. But I know I would be just so much better if I had some good form. Maybe one day.
Yoga is something I jumped into also, just to add something different to my workout routine at the time. I only thought about how it would help me physically, and started doing an intermediate tape at home. Which means, once again, that I skipped over some pretty important basics about yoga. Like form and breathing techniques and the whole meditation thing. BUT since it's something I started learning more about, I have decided to see if I can completely start over at something and learn it right for once.
Jav's family got me a wonderful book called "Essential Yoga: An Illustrated Guide" by Olivia H. Miller for Christmas that is helping me do this. It is very simple to follow, and has great illustrations of breathing techniques, warm-up stretches, poses and meditations. I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to give yoga a try. I'm starting off very slow with breathing and warm-ups, which I NEVER did before. Then I do a few poses, just like the book shows, and end with some short meditations.
I don't think I will now ever give up on yoga like I have on so many things. I has become a very important part of my life, and I am really starting to feel the differences. Not just in my toning, flexibility and balance, but in a calmness I feel that I've never felt before. I'm actually starting to pay attention to whether I'm taking short breaths (especially when I'm stressed out about something) and if so I try to slow myself down by slowing my breathing down. I'm also not having as many negative thoughts as I used to, which can make you feel so much better about life. It feels good to know I stuck with something this time, and it's really making a difference.
Thursday, December 27, 2007
Christmas 2007
There were so many special moments this year.
First off, we were so thankful that our friend Keith came out of his back surgery alright. The surgery was nine hours long, and he didn't have feeling in his arms for about 24 hours afterwards, but everything is progressing normally now and he got to go home late Christmas Eve.
Friday night downtown with Philip and April was just so much fun. I've decided Fort Worth is very pretty when she's all decked out for the holidays. We ate dinner at Cantina Larado (EXCELLENT food), then arrived at Bass Hall just in time for A Christmas Carol, the Musical. It was great--very funny in parts, poignant in others, rousing musical numbers, and at the end there was snow coming down from the rafters of Bass Hall everywhere. (Luckily we were underneath a balcony and didn't walk out looking like we had giant dandruff flakes all over us). But the funnest part was being with Philip and April, and laughing and having such a great time. I hope we can continue to find things to do with them, separate from our family get-togethers.
Sunday, my mom and I drove to Fredericksburg and back in one day to pick up my Uncle Dave. It really didn't seem so bad. We had alot of Christmas music, crossword puzzles and some fierce games of 20 Questions that helped to make the time go by.
On Monday, we attended St. Rita's Christmas Eve 5:00 pm Mass, which is specifically for the kids, and is always so special because all the children are turned out in their finest Christmas outfits. They always have a Nativity Pageant, and lots of Carol singing. Gabriel lived up to his nickname, El Torito (the little bull), and I had to leave with him once. But Jav's Mom and sister helped me out with him. The funniest thing that ALMOST happened was that he almost turned out the lights in the sanctuary while Father Flores was giving the homily. Good Lord, we would've had to change parishes! And maybe even our names, Jav joked.
On to Christmas Eve dinner at Jav's parents with Sandra. This year we had tamales, which were delicious, especially with Tita's homemade guacamole and tortillas. My mouth is watering again just thinking about it. Unfortunately Gabriel was having a picky eating day and barely touched any of it, but didn't seem too concerned. We opened presents, with one of us on full alert chasing Gabriel around the house. The most memorable moment came when Tita showed me what she had been working on with Gabriel - he goes up to the large baby Jesus under her tree and gives him a kiss. For El Torito, this was an extremely gentle moment and pretty much brought me to tears. Once we got home, Jav and I stayed up watching the original version of A Christmas Carol with Reginald Owen. Jav had never seen any movie version of it. It was perfect because it ended right at midnight and left us feeling all Christmasy inside just before we passed out.
Christmas Day started with our little family opening the gifts Santa left. My husband gave me the dearest gift any one's ever given me - a photo album of our pets, with Stanley and Fred's picture on the first page as a memorial to the two of them. He truly is the most thoughtful person on the planet, and I am the luckiest person in the world to have him. Gabriel seemed really excited about his sandbox (although it had no sand yet), and we video taped him climbing in and out of it about 10 times. He also seemed excited about the gift from his Godparents, Keith and Christine, a miniature motorcycle, or at least he seemed to want to play with the boy in the picture on the box proudly riding it. Jav will have to put it together, hopefully sometime before he's too big to ride it.
On a sad note, Jav's sister Sandra lost her boxer, Reyna (Spanish for "queen"). She was 10, and had been battling a disease that had to do with her pituitary gland, but had been doing pretty well for the last 6 months with different medications. She woke up really sick and died at home with Sandra and her parents during the early afternoon. Sandra's doggies are her babies, and I really feel for her. It's tough to lose one anytime, but Christmas Day just seems so much harder of a day to deal with a tragedy. Luckily she still has her sweet pug, Bo, so they can lean on each other to get through this.
We headed for Philip and April's in Weatherford to spend Christmas evening with the two of them, Macy and Cade, and my Mom and Dad. We had an amazing dinner of prime rib, our traditional German dish of potatoes and bacon, cranberry salad, green bean casserole, hot bread, and a not-very-pretty but delicious chocolate-raspberry cheesecake that April made. Then we started a new tradition. Philip played the guitar and we all sang carols. It was a good mix of secular and religious, and half of them were for the kids to sing along with too. I have a great memory of holding Macy in my lap with my other arm around Cade singing "Santa Claus is coming to town" at the top of our lungs. Gabriel, being still too little to understand all of this, just wandered around with various toys. But he did seem very much fascinated by Uncle Philip playing the guitar. He stops to strum mine around 20 times a day at home, which has prompted me to try and remember anything I learned during my six months of lessons. I hope we'll do the carols every year. It helps to get some of the focus off opening presents and reminds us of what this holiday is all about after all.
But, of course, we then all opened gifts, which always leads to such excitement and laughter. My Dad surprised my Mom with a beautiful painting she had wanted from Bombay company. The kids, though, were the main focus of everything. Gabriel was such a trooper. He had to be totally exhausted, but never cried or fussed at all. He just started laying his head down on the carpet here and there, because, after all, it gets tiring carrying that big ole thing around all the time. And he showed off his newest, funniest trick of walking backwards over great distances without running into things. We're not exactly sure how he does it, but we think Henry had a hand in teaching him. We all went to bed that night with the satisfying feeling of full bellies, heads a little giddy from laughing so much, hearts full of love for our families and thankfulness to God for all that we have in our lives.
All in all, it really was a great Christmas.
First off, we were so thankful that our friend Keith came out of his back surgery alright. The surgery was nine hours long, and he didn't have feeling in his arms for about 24 hours afterwards, but everything is progressing normally now and he got to go home late Christmas Eve.
Friday night downtown with Philip and April was just so much fun. I've decided Fort Worth is very pretty when she's all decked out for the holidays. We ate dinner at Cantina Larado (EXCELLENT food), then arrived at Bass Hall just in time for A Christmas Carol, the Musical. It was great--very funny in parts, poignant in others, rousing musical numbers, and at the end there was snow coming down from the rafters of Bass Hall everywhere. (Luckily we were underneath a balcony and didn't walk out looking like we had giant dandruff flakes all over us). But the funnest part was being with Philip and April, and laughing and having such a great time. I hope we can continue to find things to do with them, separate from our family get-togethers.
Sunday, my mom and I drove to Fredericksburg and back in one day to pick up my Uncle Dave. It really didn't seem so bad. We had alot of Christmas music, crossword puzzles and some fierce games of 20 Questions that helped to make the time go by.
On Monday, we attended St. Rita's Christmas Eve 5:00 pm Mass, which is specifically for the kids, and is always so special because all the children are turned out in their finest Christmas outfits. They always have a Nativity Pageant, and lots of Carol singing. Gabriel lived up to his nickname, El Torito (the little bull), and I had to leave with him once. But Jav's Mom and sister helped me out with him. The funniest thing that ALMOST happened was that he almost turned out the lights in the sanctuary while Father Flores was giving the homily. Good Lord, we would've had to change parishes! And maybe even our names, Jav joked.
On to Christmas Eve dinner at Jav's parents with Sandra. This year we had tamales, which were delicious, especially with Tita's homemade guacamole and tortillas. My mouth is watering again just thinking about it. Unfortunately Gabriel was having a picky eating day and barely touched any of it, but didn't seem too concerned. We opened presents, with one of us on full alert chasing Gabriel around the house. The most memorable moment came when Tita showed me what she had been working on with Gabriel - he goes up to the large baby Jesus under her tree and gives him a kiss. For El Torito, this was an extremely gentle moment and pretty much brought me to tears. Once we got home, Jav and I stayed up watching the original version of A Christmas Carol with Reginald Owen. Jav had never seen any movie version of it. It was perfect because it ended right at midnight and left us feeling all Christmasy inside just before we passed out.
Christmas Day started with our little family opening the gifts Santa left. My husband gave me the dearest gift any one's ever given me - a photo album of our pets, with Stanley and Fred's picture on the first page as a memorial to the two of them. He truly is the most thoughtful person on the planet, and I am the luckiest person in the world to have him. Gabriel seemed really excited about his sandbox (although it had no sand yet), and we video taped him climbing in and out of it about 10 times. He also seemed excited about the gift from his Godparents, Keith and Christine, a miniature motorcycle, or at least he seemed to want to play with the boy in the picture on the box proudly riding it. Jav will have to put it together, hopefully sometime before he's too big to ride it.
On a sad note, Jav's sister Sandra lost her boxer, Reyna (Spanish for "queen"). She was 10, and had been battling a disease that had to do with her pituitary gland, but had been doing pretty well for the last 6 months with different medications. She woke up really sick and died at home with Sandra and her parents during the early afternoon. Sandra's doggies are her babies, and I really feel for her. It's tough to lose one anytime, but Christmas Day just seems so much harder of a day to deal with a tragedy. Luckily she still has her sweet pug, Bo, so they can lean on each other to get through this.
We headed for Philip and April's in Weatherford to spend Christmas evening with the two of them, Macy and Cade, and my Mom and Dad. We had an amazing dinner of prime rib, our traditional German dish of potatoes and bacon, cranberry salad, green bean casserole, hot bread, and a not-very-pretty but delicious chocolate-raspberry cheesecake that April made. Then we started a new tradition. Philip played the guitar and we all sang carols. It was a good mix of secular and religious, and half of them were for the kids to sing along with too. I have a great memory of holding Macy in my lap with my other arm around Cade singing "Santa Claus is coming to town" at the top of our lungs. Gabriel, being still too little to understand all of this, just wandered around with various toys. But he did seem very much fascinated by Uncle Philip playing the guitar. He stops to strum mine around 20 times a day at home, which has prompted me to try and remember anything I learned during my six months of lessons. I hope we'll do the carols every year. It helps to get some of the focus off opening presents and reminds us of what this holiday is all about after all.
But, of course, we then all opened gifts, which always leads to such excitement and laughter. My Dad surprised my Mom with a beautiful painting she had wanted from Bombay company. The kids, though, were the main focus of everything. Gabriel was such a trooper. He had to be totally exhausted, but never cried or fussed at all. He just started laying his head down on the carpet here and there, because, after all, it gets tiring carrying that big ole thing around all the time. And he showed off his newest, funniest trick of walking backwards over great distances without running into things. We're not exactly sure how he does it, but we think Henry had a hand in teaching him. We all went to bed that night with the satisfying feeling of full bellies, heads a little giddy from laughing so much, hearts full of love for our families and thankfulness to God for all that we have in our lives.
All in all, it really was a great Christmas.
Thursday, December 20, 2007
This Christmas seems different
Every year I vow that THIS year I am not going to get stressed out about gift buying, gift wrapping and Christmas card mailing like I have every Christmas since I've been an adult. And every year I always end up very stressed out and tired, and wondering what happened to the joyful Christmas feeling I used to get as a kid. Before I had all of these other things to think about. Christmas seems to come and go and I don't feel like I ever got to enjoy any of it.
But this year I am feeling so very different about everything. I will admit that maybe this newer, more laid back me could have alot to do with not having a regular job anymore. But I think my energy level is challenged more by newly-walking Gabriel than it ever was at work. I think the real reasons behind it are deeper.
The first thing that's different about this year is money. And how we had less to spend on gifts. So for the first time in my life, I have stuck to our Christmas budget. (Keep in mind that although Jav had a hand in deciding what we were going to get people, I did all the shopping this year - hence the "I", instead of the "we").
And since we're on the subject, we have been very careful about what we're getting people this year. I didn't want to rush out and buy a bunch of Chinese-made lead-filled toys for the kids I'm buying for. I've given careful thought about where my gifts are coming from and how they will be used. I did have a weak moment at Toys R Us while looking for a sandbox for Gabriel and ended up buying my nephew a Spider-Man toy that is made in China and that he will absolutely love.
But I think because we've had a really rough month with battling illnesses, losing Fred, a car wreck (Jav was ok, thank God, but the car's pretty banged up), and our friend Keith having an 8-hour surgery tomorrow on his spine, I'm seeing everything with a different perspective. The rushing around and getting things done is still important, but I'm so aware of why I'm doing these things. I'm doing them for people that I love, that I am so thankful to have in my life. It doesn't seem like a chore this year.
I got all of my Christmas cards mailed Tuesday and just smiled thinking about the fun we had trying to take a dang picture, and what we ended up sending instead. I finished wrapping everything yesterday, and marveled at how easy it seemed and was glad I could spend the rest of the afternoon walking Molly and playing with Gabriel outside.
I've been on several shopping expeditions with my Mom, and have enjoyed every one of them. Even though we had to battle some long lines and shortages of parking spaces, it never seemed stressful. We've truly had fun, talking so much we would forget where we were headed in the car, or what we were looking for amidst the crowds in the stores.
Tomorrow night we are going to see the musical version of "A Christmas Carol" at Bass Hall with my brother and his wife. I am so excited about this. I get to get dressed up and go downtown. I get to see the huge Christmas tree in Sundance Square. I get to see Bass Hall all gussied up for the holidays, which is always beautiful. I get to see one of my favorite stories of all time come to life in a new way. But I'm the most excited about doing something special with Philip and April, which we have really never done before. When I hung up the phone after they invited us to go with them (April won the tickets at work), I had that feeling again, of being a kid, and being filled with so much wonderful anticipation and love.
But this year I am feeling so very different about everything. I will admit that maybe this newer, more laid back me could have alot to do with not having a regular job anymore. But I think my energy level is challenged more by newly-walking Gabriel than it ever was at work. I think the real reasons behind it are deeper.
The first thing that's different about this year is money. And how we had less to spend on gifts. So for the first time in my life, I have stuck to our Christmas budget. (Keep in mind that although Jav had a hand in deciding what we were going to get people, I did all the shopping this year - hence the "I", instead of the "we").
And since we're on the subject, we have been very careful about what we're getting people this year. I didn't want to rush out and buy a bunch of Chinese-made lead-filled toys for the kids I'm buying for. I've given careful thought about where my gifts are coming from and how they will be used. I did have a weak moment at Toys R Us while looking for a sandbox for Gabriel and ended up buying my nephew a Spider-Man toy that is made in China and that he will absolutely love.
But I think because we've had a really rough month with battling illnesses, losing Fred, a car wreck (Jav was ok, thank God, but the car's pretty banged up), and our friend Keith having an 8-hour surgery tomorrow on his spine, I'm seeing everything with a different perspective. The rushing around and getting things done is still important, but I'm so aware of why I'm doing these things. I'm doing them for people that I love, that I am so thankful to have in my life. It doesn't seem like a chore this year.
I got all of my Christmas cards mailed Tuesday and just smiled thinking about the fun we had trying to take a dang picture, and what we ended up sending instead. I finished wrapping everything yesterday, and marveled at how easy it seemed and was glad I could spend the rest of the afternoon walking Molly and playing with Gabriel outside.
I've been on several shopping expeditions with my Mom, and have enjoyed every one of them. Even though we had to battle some long lines and shortages of parking spaces, it never seemed stressful. We've truly had fun, talking so much we would forget where we were headed in the car, or what we were looking for amidst the crowds in the stores.
Tomorrow night we are going to see the musical version of "A Christmas Carol" at Bass Hall with my brother and his wife. I am so excited about this. I get to get dressed up and go downtown. I get to see the huge Christmas tree in Sundance Square. I get to see Bass Hall all gussied up for the holidays, which is always beautiful. I get to see one of my favorite stories of all time come to life in a new way. But I'm the most excited about doing something special with Philip and April, which we have really never done before. When I hung up the phone after they invited us to go with them (April won the tickets at work), I had that feeling again, of being a kid, and being filled with so much wonderful anticipation and love.
Monday, December 17, 2007
Attempting to take a Christmas photo
The one we thought would turn out the best, but it was horribly blurry.
This one we even got Henry in, but he's about to claw off Jav's leg. We really wanted to get all the pets, but discovered that it is impossible. And blurry. What's the deal?
Here's the happy photographer and one subject while everyone was still in a semi-good mood.
We might have used this one if not for the chair behind Jav's head making him look sort of Frankenstein-ish. And it's blurry. You can tell Gabriel is already losing patience by now.
We thought about using this. It was the best picture anyone took all day. Zoe always photographs well.
This is poor Molly after about the 10th try.
The last attempt - Gabriel is so fussy and sleepy by now, Molly looks like she's taking a bite out of my arm (can you blame her at this point?), and, once again, it's blurry.
We discovered afterwards that the camera had lost all of it's settings when Jav replaced the battery the day before. But by then we were all just too tired and cranky to try anymore. I'm going to try to get a good one of Gabriel today. If not, our Christmas cards may be pictureless this year. Moral of the story: Get started earlier than the week before Christmas next year.
Saturday, December 15, 2007
A couple of music notes
Jav and I are addicted to America's Next Greatest Band on Fox. It's a guilty pleasure, of course, but we've been surprised just how good the bands that have been competing are. Jav's favorite is a really good Eagles-type rock/country band called Sixwire, made up of 40-ish good looking guys (which is not the reason Jav likes them). My original favorite was a band of gangly 20-somethings whose specialty was Beatles-type British pop called Tres Bien. They were eliminated two weeks ago, so I had to choose a new favorite. I am now pulling for The Clark Brothers, three actual brothers who grew up on the road along with their 8 other siblings while their evangelical preacher father moved from revival tent to revival tent. I guess their main label would be bluegrassy gospel, but they play and sing with such fire and such soul that you really can't help but feel something rise up within you when they play. Both bands have made it to the finals, which are next Friday night, along with another really good HUGE big band, with horns and everything, called Denver and the Mile High Orchestra. I really hope they do well after this contest is over, because they seem like such nice guys, and because they played a smokin' version of September by Earth Wind and Fire last night, which just happens to be Jav's and my song. But my money and my heart go with The Clark Brothers.
Another show I've been DVR-ing is Crossroads on Country Music Television. This is a show where two artists, usually from different genres and always fans of each others' music pair up for an hour of talking and performing. It's always a good show, but last night we finally watched the best one we've seen yet - Bonnie Raitt and Lyle Lovett. It was true magic. The stories behind their songs were very poignant. Lyle Lovett seems like such a nice guy, and there's something so real about his music and his voice. And Bonnie Raitt's voice just gets more syrupy and perfect with age. Her guitar playing isn't too shabby either. I'll always regret that I missed her show at Bass Hall, but maybe someday she'll come back. I hope to be there if she does.
Another show I've been DVR-ing is Crossroads on Country Music Television. This is a show where two artists, usually from different genres and always fans of each others' music pair up for an hour of talking and performing. It's always a good show, but last night we finally watched the best one we've seen yet - Bonnie Raitt and Lyle Lovett. It was true magic. The stories behind their songs were very poignant. Lyle Lovett seems like such a nice guy, and there's something so real about his music and his voice. And Bonnie Raitt's voice just gets more syrupy and perfect with age. Her guitar playing isn't too shabby either. I'll always regret that I missed her show at Bass Hall, but maybe someday she'll come back. I hope to be there if she does.
Thursday, December 13, 2007
My 200th post
Ever since I started categorizing my posts, I've been subtracting my pictures to keep track of my actual word postings so that I'd know when I hit this milestone.
I wasn't sure what to write about for such a monumental occasion, and I was going to do a sort of a Christmas letter and sum up the past year. But the circumstances of the last 24 hours have led me to want to write something alot more personal and spiritual.
I wasn't sure what to write about for such a monumental occasion, and I was going to do a sort of a Christmas letter and sum up the past year. But the circumstances of the last 24 hours have led me to want to write something alot more personal and spiritual.
Do you believe in ghosts? Or Heaven? Or at least that our loved ones who proceed onto the next plane before us are still around? What about reincarnation? I would have said no way to these questions years ago. But now I must admit that I sure do like the idea of it, and this may have something to do with getting older. But the first time I considered reincarnation was just after my maternal grandfather died. I had never lost anyone close to me before, (other than my paternal grandfather who died of a heart attack when I was 7). Ever since then, no family, no friends, no pets. I was walking Stanley around the apartment complex I was living in, and this blue jay kept showing up every time we took our walk. I got it in my head that it was Bapaw, coming back as a bird he always complained about, which I thought was kind of funny and ironic. But no matter how crazy it sounds, the idea made me feel so much better and really helped to ease the pain.
The event that really made me start wondering, though, was our wedding. When we started to take pictures, this little stray cat appeared out of nowhere and seemed to want to be in the group pictures. She actually made it into a couple. Then even stranger, when Jav and I were having some taken of just us, the little cat kept wanting to crawl in my lap. Several people afterwards told me they believed that cat was my maternal grandmother, which almost made me fall over because that's what I had been thinking that whole evening. Mamaw would have had to find a way to be at my wedding - she wouldn't have missed it for the world.
And finally, after Gabriel was born, we noticed him doing a strange thing every now and then while lying on his changing table, sometimes crying (he couldn't have been more than 2 or 3 months old or so). He would stare at the ceiling and start to smile. There were no shadows, or ceiling fan, or any movement that Jav or I could see. But he seemed to be really watching something or someone. I liked the idea that maybe that was one or some of his great-grandparents, stopping by to smile down at him. He still does this every once in awhile, and he will go from an all out scream to very quiet and still, then to a smile. And just last week, he was in his high chair and looked down just like one of the pets had come into the room, held up some food, and started his dog talk. But I didn't see anyone. Maybe Stanley dropped in for a quick hello.
I know all of these ideas are probably just things to comfort me and make me miss people or pets just a little less.
So last night, when we knew that Fred had stopped eating for a day again, and seemed to have a fever, I had to rely on all of these things to come to terms with realizing he was too sick to go on. I believe in the power of prayer, but don't normally pray for specific things for myself. However last night I prayed for some kind of miracle to help Fred. But, sadly, he still couldn't eat this morning. We took him in, and the vet listened and understood. He can never make that decision for a pet owner, I guess, but I got the feeling he knew I was making the right decision. When Fred left our world in my arms, all I could do is hope and pray with every fiber of my being that he's now somewhere where he's happy and his mouth doesn't hurt, and he can grow big and strong, and be outside and climb trees and hunt bugs. I hope this very moment he's doing all the things he couldn't do during his short five years in our world. And I hope I meet up with him again to look into those blue-green eyes and scratch that sweet little face. Maybe he can even take a nap with me curled up on my chest. Somehow, someway, I have to believe.
Farewell little Fred
Freidrich von Fluffball, a.k.a. Fredley, a.k.a. The Grey Ghost, a.k.a. Frederico, a.k.a. Little BittyMay 2002 - December 2007
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
Tipping is not just for cows anymore
Every time (and we're talking about once a month, if that) I go through a Starbucks drive-through and see that tip jar, I get SO mad. What exactly are they doing that makes them think they deserve a tip on TOP of the outrageous prices they charge for grinding and whipping up a couple of beans? And why don't I see a tip jar at other drive-throughs? I get so mad that I almost make it past my nervousness that they might spit in my tall Chai before handing it over. But even that doesn't manipulate me into leaving a tip.
The daily grind
Lately I am getting very burned out trying to figure out what to have for dinner every night. I love to cook, although my desire to spend a long time in the kitchen preparing anything is gone now that I am using up my energy chasing a toddler around. I try to spend around 30 minutes tops during the week, then one night out on Saturday, then a little more involved or special meal on Sunday.
But trying to eat healthy on a budget is taking it's toll on me. Sometimes I just stare into space when I'm supposed to be thinking of menus the night before my big grocery trip. I have a sectioned notebook where I try to jot down any recipe or meal combination that we like. And I have a great Betty Crocker quick meals cookbook, and a huge recipe binder filled with ones I've either tried and liked or would like to try someday. The last few months though, I don't even want to flip through them.
One thing I've gotten better about, though, is looking through my pantry, fridge and freezer before making my list to take full advantage of eating up stuff we already have. I've noticed a HUGE difference in the amount of food that gets thrown away. I've also done better about planning multiple meals using an ingredient if a recipe only calls for a small amount of it, like a jar of roasted red peppers or Kalamata olives, or a bag of spinach.
Last night we had a Cafe Madrid at home night. I attempted for the first time to make a Spanish omelet. I overcooked my potatoes (they were more like potato chips when I got through with them), so the result wasn't anything like the wonderful fluffy omelet from the restaurant. But I nailed the red peppers, goat cheese and capers, which almost made up for the crunchy omelet. Next time, along with knowing I need to cook my potatoes less than the recipe suggests, I also hope to find some white asparagus or saute some spinach. Or maybe we'll just head to Dallas for the real thing!
On a side note, Gabriel's appetite has become almost as unenthusiastic as my desire to plan menus. He just picks at his food, or plays with it. He's eating less than half what he used to, which I guess I'm glad to see. If he had kept going at the pace he's had up to this point, we would've had to start him on the South Beach Diet.
But trying to eat healthy on a budget is taking it's toll on me. Sometimes I just stare into space when I'm supposed to be thinking of menus the night before my big grocery trip. I have a sectioned notebook where I try to jot down any recipe or meal combination that we like. And I have a great Betty Crocker quick meals cookbook, and a huge recipe binder filled with ones I've either tried and liked or would like to try someday. The last few months though, I don't even want to flip through them.
One thing I've gotten better about, though, is looking through my pantry, fridge and freezer before making my list to take full advantage of eating up stuff we already have. I've noticed a HUGE difference in the amount of food that gets thrown away. I've also done better about planning multiple meals using an ingredient if a recipe only calls for a small amount of it, like a jar of roasted red peppers or Kalamata olives, or a bag of spinach.
Last night we had a Cafe Madrid at home night. I attempted for the first time to make a Spanish omelet. I overcooked my potatoes (they were more like potato chips when I got through with them), so the result wasn't anything like the wonderful fluffy omelet from the restaurant. But I nailed the red peppers, goat cheese and capers, which almost made up for the crunchy omelet. Next time, along with knowing I need to cook my potatoes less than the recipe suggests, I also hope to find some white asparagus or saute some spinach. Or maybe we'll just head to Dallas for the real thing!
On a side note, Gabriel's appetite has become almost as unenthusiastic as my desire to plan menus. He just picks at his food, or plays with it. He's eating less than half what he used to, which I guess I'm glad to see. If he had kept going at the pace he's had up to this point, we would've had to start him on the South Beach Diet.
Sunday, December 09, 2007
Little Fred
We are having trouble with Fred's gums again. I was confused after he got some of his teeth pulled, thinking this problem was solved for good. But just after our Padre trip he started eating less and acting really skittish again, and sure enough the vet said his gums looked awful and he needed a steroid shot. Jav and I decided we'd start taking him again every 6 weeks to get a shot. His gums must hurt him really badly, because he stops taking care of himself - no grooming or anything.
Well, he didn't even make it a whole month. The week before last he just stopped eating. It was too painful. He didn't even try a couple of times, and I knew it was really bad this time. I took him in and he had a low-grade fever along with awful looking gums. I asked the vet (a wonderful man named Dr. Robert Norris-we've practically become family because I'm in there so much), what kind of damage the steroid shots could possibly do, especially having them so often. He said eventually Fred could develop liver and heart problems because of them. Sigh. So then I asked about whether pulling out all of his teeth would be psychologically hard, and he told me that because the gums are still really red even where his other teeth were pulled that pulling out all of his teeth wouldn't really make any difference. Sigh. Sigh. (with a few tears at this point). So Fred is pretty much screwed, I asked (not in those words). Yes, there's really no other treatment possibilities for him. More tears. Plus I was supposed to try and give him antibiotics to get his fever down. Good luck with all that!
The next day was Sunday, and I tried to crush the pill and mix it into Fred's food. He took two bites and walked away. I tried a couple of hours later to just poke it in his mouth and rub his throat so he'd swallow it. I thought this worked, but then Molly walked in the room and ate something that must have been the pill. And Fred was terrified and hiding under the bed. At this point I was so despondent I became hard to live with. My Mom helped me by suggesting that I forget about the pill for now and just make sure he starts eating again, and maybe nature will take care of itself and his fever will go down. I calmed down and Fred ate and ate.
Monday I was able to cut the pill in half and sneak it into two servings of Fred's food. And that worked all week long. He's had a great week. We've seen more of him than usual, and he's been playful. His coat looks wonderful too. I have to just take it a day at a time, and be glad that he's feeling good right now.
Well, he didn't even make it a whole month. The week before last he just stopped eating. It was too painful. He didn't even try a couple of times, and I knew it was really bad this time. I took him in and he had a low-grade fever along with awful looking gums. I asked the vet (a wonderful man named Dr. Robert Norris-we've practically become family because I'm in there so much), what kind of damage the steroid shots could possibly do, especially having them so often. He said eventually Fred could develop liver and heart problems because of them. Sigh. So then I asked about whether pulling out all of his teeth would be psychologically hard, and he told me that because the gums are still really red even where his other teeth were pulled that pulling out all of his teeth wouldn't really make any difference. Sigh. Sigh. (with a few tears at this point). So Fred is pretty much screwed, I asked (not in those words). Yes, there's really no other treatment possibilities for him. More tears. Plus I was supposed to try and give him antibiotics to get his fever down. Good luck with all that!
The next day was Sunday, and I tried to crush the pill and mix it into Fred's food. He took two bites and walked away. I tried a couple of hours later to just poke it in his mouth and rub his throat so he'd swallow it. I thought this worked, but then Molly walked in the room and ate something that must have been the pill. And Fred was terrified and hiding under the bed. At this point I was so despondent I became hard to live with. My Mom helped me by suggesting that I forget about the pill for now and just make sure he starts eating again, and maybe nature will take care of itself and his fever will go down. I calmed down and Fred ate and ate.
Monday I was able to cut the pill in half and sneak it into two servings of Fred's food. And that worked all week long. He's had a great week. We've seen more of him than usual, and he's been playful. His coat looks wonderful too. I have to just take it a day at a time, and be glad that he's feeling good right now.
Friday, December 07, 2007
What's up with the weather
Gabriel and I just spent an hour outside, in our shorts, playing in 80 degree weather in December. Weird. But nice to be able to go outside and play!
Saturday, November 24, 2007
Road trip memories
This donation to our garage sale last summer (thanks Susan-but I kept this one for myself), prompted a belated posting regarding the Family Road Trip. It's amazing to me how this one thing prompted so many membories. My parents used to take my brother and me on one or two road trips a year, either to stay with Texas relatives in Ingleside or Fredericksburg, or to Colorado in the summers once we were a little older. I remember stopping at two different retail outlets whose very existence depended on the Family Road Trip. One was Nickerson Farms and the other was Stuckey's, and one had a blue roof and one a red one (I don't remember which was which). Stuckey's sometimes had a snack bar, and Nickerson Farms had restaurants attached. I remember getting the BEST burgers there, old school style with thick bread slices instead of buns, and grill marks all over, and dripping with grease. Yum.
My brother and I were also allowed to spend a very thrifty sum on crap for the car at these establishments, and we took our role as consumers very seriously. I remember spending quite a bit on books like the one above. I also remember turning little cows and pigs upside down to hear the very unrealistic noises that were supposed to be moos and oinks, kitschy salt and pepper shakers, road trip bingo cards, every rainbow color and flavor of candy cane you can think of, lots of things to write on and write with, and alot of glass and ceramic items that I guess were meant to be gifts for whoever was waiting for you at your destination. (I always looked at that stuff as extra stuff to dust, and not much more).
I don't remember if Philip and I fought in the car very much. I remember we sang, as a family, early on, before I thought it was very uncool to do so. My parents bickered from time to time. I remember one particularly stressful trip to Colorado where my Dad got lost for awhile. We were all very hungry and apparently in the middle of nowhere in New Mexico. We accidentally drove onto an Indian Reservation somewhere around Taos where they were having a festival of some kind, but we were not allowed on the property. We finally stumbled on an old and not very well-stocked grocery store where we at least bought beverages and snacks to hold us over until we found civilization again. I think my Mom started speaking to my Dad again once we got to the Colorado border.
But I mostly remember fun times, especially on the way to the destination.
(posting from Belle Vernon, PA, where we're having a wonderful time)
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