A Long Overdue Christmas Post

Buche de Noel

Brotherly love

Ready, set, unwrap! Note the time in the upper left corner.

We cleaned up as we went otherwise you couldn't see the boys.

Leapstering.

Jack tells me that his favorite present was the Leapster and Dean's favorite is his Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle "Donatello" and the weapons that accompanied it. His favorite weapon is the ninja stick. He demonstrated how it's used and in his sweet, sweet voice told me how you use it to "choke" someone. Nice.

The day began at roughly 6:01am. We forced them to wait until we at least got the coffee brewing. We just aren't civilized until we've had a cup 'o joe. But oh, it was magical. Their exclamations of surprise that Santa ate the cookies and drank the special Christmas milk (eggnog) and the reindeer ate the carrots! And all the presents! They covered the floor under the tree, blocking the path from the living room to the dining room.

After that, it was pretty much one big adrenaline rush that hasn't really ended. They haven't napped in days - except for Dean. He finally was so tired yesterday that he fell asleep in the shopping cart and slept for over 2 hours. They've been mostly at each other's throats with brief moments of affection and I am sort of looking forward to going back to work. Except, I don't really want to go back to work - I just want them to go back to school!!

And now, I'm thinking about 2008 and my hopes and goals for the year. But that will have to wait until later as the morning is getting away from me and I'm late for the shower.

Christmas Eve Conversation

Dean: Daddy, did you see this? (Shows him 2 feathers each with a heart strung onto them)
Daddy: No, they're very nice. Where did you get them?
Dean: I made them. One is for me and one is for Mommy. Do you know why it has a heart on it?
Daddy: No, why?
Dean: Because I love Mommy. She's all the Christmas I need.

Southern California Snow

First we dump the 'snow' on the boys.
Then they make snow angels.

Dean takes a break.

Flurries.

Jack takes a leap.

Spidey makes an unexpected appearance.

Spidey and Robin take a tumble.

Jack and Dean in the box.

Merry Christmas Eve!

Unexpected Gifts

I received a call today from a friend of mine whose son went to the daycare with the boys. She told me that her son wondered if we'd like to drop off Jack and Dean at their house to play for a couple of hours so Tom and I could have some alone time together.
Why, yes Frank thanks for asking!

So, we dropped off the boys and we went to the movies! We haven't been to a movie together since the late 1900s so this was a great gift. We saw "Sweeney Todd: Demon Barber of Fleet Street".

What's black and white and red all over? Sweeney Todd. I love me some Johnny Depp and he didn't disappoint. The production design was amazing - black, oily London filled with corrupt characters, the only color the splash of red when Todd works his blade on his unsuspecting customers. Helena Bonham Carter was equally good and Alan Rickman plays a perfect bad guy as the judge who ruins Todd's life.

Three hours later, we were picking up the boys (to their disappointment) and heading home. I'm glad we took them up on the offer and that all our shopping, cleaning and laundry was already done. I'm not very good at taking advantage of these kind of opportunities. Even today, my first impulse was to say no. But with no pressing chores nagging at me, what reason was there to say no?

As we drove to the theater, I felt almost giddy. I am so excited about Christmas this year, thrilled to be done with all the shopping and wrapping but looking forward to seeing the boys' faces as they open their gifts. I feel so lucky.

Helpers

Last night Jack came into the kitchen and offered to help me make dinner. As he scampered off to wash his hands, I thought about how he could help. When he returned, I told him he could slice the mushrooms. I cleaned them for him and he sliced them using one of these:





When he was done, he asked what else could he do? I told him he could chop the onion and garlic using one of these:







Then, I handed him the cleaned green beans and showed him how to trim them. He trimmed the ends and snapped them in half (except for the long ones, he wanted them to stay long). While he did that Dean stirred the onions and garlic in the pan. And added salt. Pinch after pinch of salt. Until I realized what he was doing and moved the salt. I must have caught him in time because it was fine but I wonder how much salt he would have added if I hadn't?

It was really nice having them help me. Jack asks a lot of questions "why do you pound the pork chops", "why do you put the onions in", "why do onions make you cry" but more amazingly, he remembers what I tell him. When Tom got home Jack told him what he helped with and explained that onions get really sweet when they cook for a long time. Dinner was delicious and we had great family time at the same time. By the way, my new favorite food is Israeli Couscous:




It's creamy and delicious, especially when cooked in chicken broth.

Mind over matter

Due to what I believe was a simple miscommunication, I found myself stuffing bottles of wine into festive bags for distribution to various staff members. The bottles weren't from me but a simple offer to help turned into something much bigger and, once offered, help isn't something to be rescinded. So, I stuffed while I quietly fumed. Every few moments I would remind myself that this is not a big deal, that I'm being a good team member, that good deeds do not go unnoticed. I maintained a calm serenity despite my initial frustration.

I returned to my desk many cases later and clicked on my Buddhist meditation of the day (kindly distributed to me by my home page Google). It said "Turn your mind away from things which are not permanent."

How perfect.

Cooker Girl

I love to cook and recently I've been recording cooking shows to give me new ideas. One of my favorites is Everyday Italian with Giada DeLaurentiis. Sometimes Jack watches with me. If you don't know who Giada is (where the heck have you been?), just google her.

Or - here's a picture:She's pretty. Sometimes Daddy likes to watch with me, too.

Anyway, so the other night Tom was tucking the boys into bed and he later told me about the following conversation that he had with Jack:

Daddy: You're so lucky to have such a nice mommy. She's nice and pretty and she's such a good cook.

Jack: Well, she's not the best cook in the whole world.

Daddy: Well, maybe not the best in the whole world but she's right up there.

Jack: She's not as good as cooker girl.


It's true, you know. I'm not as good as cooker girl.

Unforgettable

Back in September, Tom gave me a gift certificate good for 2 cooking classes at this quaint little place. My first class, on tamale making, was tonight. It was really fun and I came home with a dozen tamales. But that's not what this post is about.

This post is also not about driving home from tamale class in the rain through towns with which I am unfamiliar. Suffice to say, the older I get the more I want to stay within a small circle near my house. But, that's not what this is about.

Here is what this post is about. I walked through the door tonight, trying to be quiet so I didn't disturb the boys, and as I walked past their room, Tom gestured for me to go in. Dean looked at me and said in the sweetest voice, "I wrote your name" and handed an envelope to me with my name on it. "Open it", he said. Carefully, so as not to rip the paper, I opened the envelope. Inside, resting between the folds of blue felt was a pair of earrings, long ones made of a dozen sparkly hearts all lined up in a shimmery row. "Do you know why there are so many hearts", he asked. No, I said. "It's because that's how much I love you", he said.

I don't ever want to forget that moment.

NaBloPoMo Recap

So, yeah we couldn't get our wireless router to work on Friday night and that's why I had to phone in the haiku. But c'mon, at least it was a Haiku! I mean, doesn't that prove I was thinking?

I was disappointed. Not that I had anything particularly brilliant to write; I was probably just going to recap the month (yawn) and write about what I would do differently. Some of the other blogs I read had themes! Themes! That's smart. I wish I had done a theme. Like Twin Tuesday or Wonderful Wednesday? Or Thinking Thursday. Snapshot Saturday?

I had other big plans too like publishing a reading list but the only thing I managed was the link to Shelfari and then I couldn't even remember all the books that I've read. I also planned on doing a recipe each week but I didn't pick a day to do that so I had to do it randomly and then I'd forget.

I liked the challenge of having to post every day but I don't think the discipline made my posts any more creative or inspiring. Instead, I just kinda felt like I was late for my assignment and oh crap what am I going to do? I'll just toss this photo up on the web and write a cute tagline for it. Then I felt guilty.

That said, I'm glad I did it and I will sign up for it again next year with a little more structure.

Right now, I'm enjoying not having a deadline.

A Haiku for the final

A Haiku for the final day:

Internet is down
On NaBloPoMo's last day
Disappoints blogger.

Memories

Ever notice how you can be just minding your own business and suddenly, something comes along and triggers a memory? Maybe it's a song that you hear on the radio or a scent that wafts near you and then, without realizing it you're reliving an event or just a period in your life. Hopefully, it's a happy period.
I'm thinking about this because of my previous post with the recipe card for Calamari Sauce. It was written 15 years ago by my friend Mary Beth and her handwriting took me back in time, when I was struggling . . . struggling to find myself, to figure out what I wanted to do and who I wanted to be. It was a time in which I desperately wanted my relationship with Tom to work but I didn't know how to be me because I wasn't sure who I was. Looking back, she seems like another girl - someone I knew once who was fun and nice but a little insecure and needy. At some times I was just the kind of friend you needed, the kind who will drop everything and help you move and take you out to get your mind off your sadness. At other times, I was the wrong kind of honest and probably hurt my friends because of it. I'm not proud of her.
My evolution has taken years and still, I'm not done yet.
Meanwhile, I marvel at the way memories come flooding back - the writing on a recipe card that reminds me of old friends, old ways.

Calamari Sauce

Once upon a time I was a waitress in an Italian restaurant which is where I met my friend Geri. We spent a lot of time complaining about bad tippers, sneaking looks at the good looking boys, and disappearing into the alley to have smoke breaks at every available opportunity. One year the owners decided to bring in a new chef and revamp the menu. Geri fell in love with the new sauce that came with the Fried Calamari. An obsession was born! The recipe is below along with an excerpt from the email that accompanied it. Enjoy!

I just had to scan the actual recipe card for you. Because you know a recipe with a provenance is always more interesting. So this recipe originally came from Mi P____ Mary Beth wrote it down for me, probably about the time I was living in the "fishing cabin" in Pasadena. From there it came with me to Silverlake. and then I lost track of it. I moved to Alhambra. Then last year I moved to San Diego and there in a box full of kitchen gadgets, I found it.....dusty, coffee stained, yellowed, Hallelujah! and now it has a place of honor, magnetized to the refrigerator. The actual card has been around almost 15 years. The recipe doesn't give directions on how to prepare the ingredients so I'll just say "Chop everything up finely and mix it together" Voila!
I remember being just MAD about his sauce so consequently found out its also good on fish or chicken or with shrimp as an alternative to cocktail sauce. Also you can mix it with black beans, corn and tomatoes for a light side dish/salad AND THEN, if you have a little left over you can add mayo to it and it becomes a completely different (but still delicious) sauce, or dip for veggies or chips etc.
Geez good thing I got over this obsession huh? Hee hee.
Love,
Geri

Jack's First Love Letter

I found this in Jack's cubby at school. It's from a girl who went on to kindergarten this year and this was her parting note. It is written on a postcard from The Metropolitan Museum of Art and the picture is "Apples and Grapes" by Claude Monet.

Jack -
I will remember you forever and I will miss you. I love you Jack. Thank you for everyday for holding the swing. You're the best buddy ever. I hope one day I can have a play date with you. If not I will still love you forever.
T---

Overheard this morning

Dean: What's an emeny?
Jack: Well, if you were a good guy and somebody else was a bad guy? Well, then you're anemone.

Meet Kate

The newest addition to our family . . .

She joined us today. She's a purebred, AKC registered Border Collie. She is gorgeous and very, very sweet. Her owner couldn't keep her anymore and we just happened to see her ad on craigslist right after she posted it. Lucky us.

Besides being super sweet, she's also really affectionate and very smart. She fetches and can catch a frisbee. She loves to play. She also did fine by herself while we went to Uncle Peter's and Uncle Julian's for dinner.

We're pretty happy.

Twist and Shout

This has been such a nice weekend that I'm actually disappointed that tomorrow is our last day. In the past, 4 days off in a row might have made me a little crazy. But this time, even with all the whining and bickering, I am really enjoying our time off together. Maybe it's because I am letting the chores go a little. Yes, I have noticed that the floor needs sweeping and mopping - I just don't care about it right now. I would much rather spend that time playing a game with Jack or watching a movie with Dean.

I played Twister with the boys today. Nothing will tell you you're getting old like a good old fashioned game of Twister. Really.

We spent a lot of the day in the backyard kicking the soccer ball around and watching them climb the peach tree. They also helped Tom trim the lemon tree and gather oranges from the orange tree. Then Jack made orange juice.

We cut Tom's hair, then Dean's and Jack's. For some reason, despite Jack telling me yesterday that he needed a hair cut, they did NOT want to get their hair cut. They each turned out really cute, in spite of themselves.

We had a very late lunch today so when Tom left this evening for a basketball game, we just ate cereal for dinner. Then we settled in to watch March of the Penguins. Jack was asleep almost instantly and after I put him in bed, Dean and I curled up on the couch and fell asleep.

I know, this post is all over the place but I'm in a little sleepy haze so, to me? it makes sense.

Leggo my Legos

Hey you know what? Legos are really fun. I'm not even being sarcastic right now, which is rare for me. The boys got 3 different lego kits for their birthdays. The first one I put together for them was a Star Wars Startrooper ship. Then I put together a fire truck and fire helicopter. Tom caught me this morning putting together the fire helicopter. The boys kept asking me why I wasn't letting them help me. Truth is, I was having fun doing it all by myself. I'm a little disappointed that they only got 3 kits - only because I wanted to put more together.

Of course, Dean has already taken apart the Startrooper ship because he's way more interested in making his own creations. He makes very intricate ships with a lot of detail. Jack builds solid, square structures, tongue hanging out of his mouth while he concentrates.

It's a beautiful, sunny day with temps in the mid-70s. I'm listening to the Ditty Bops and the sound of Legos rattling in their plastic bin.

Another great day.

Happy Thanksgiving

I'm sitting on my couch in a triptophanic coma - I just made up that word and I like it.

We had a great day. We spent the day at the Sullivan's. The kids played really well together, Colleen and I cooked, and the men watched the game and smoked cigars.

I'm too tired to be clever.

I will write more tomorrow.

Recharging

To say I was tired last night is an understatement. It's a good thing I posted when I did because I was doing a little surfing after that and I was dozing off then! I laid down with the boys when they went to bed - me spooning Dean and Jack spooning me. Next thing I knew, Tom came in when he got home and I got up. My intention was to chat with him a few minutes so I followed him into our bedroom where he was changing clothes. But after snuggling up with those two little boys, I was a little cold so I slipped into bed just so I could warm up a bit.

I woke up at 5:00 this morning. Makeup still on, hadn't brushed my teeth, still in my clothes. It took me a minute to figure out what had happened. My foggy brain finally figured it out and I looked over to see that the alarm hadn't been set. I turned it on and dozed for a few more minutes then got up and met my friend for a run.

I really needed that sleep. And that run even if we only did a few miles, it was nice being outside in the early morning fog. So peaceful. I can breathe today.

At My Age

Well, after trying for several years to lower my cholesterol level to a more acceptable number, my Doctor and I finally came to the conclusion that I can't do it consistently without going on medication. Hello, my name is Kelsi and I am now an official member of the crestor family.

Why do all the cholesterol medications end in -OR-?

Anyway, despite my best efforts at eating a diet low in fat and exercising regularly, my numbers prefer camping out in the 240 range and my Doctor said that AT MY AGE I need to go on medication to bring the numbers down.

At my age, you can't be too careful.