Childhood memories

I have fond memories of mom being home when I came home from school. Often, before I even crossed the street to our house, I could smell the goodness, and tell that mom had made bread that day. Oh, and it was such good bread. If we were in luck, she had just recently taken it out of the oven and it was piping hot and the butter would melt and drip from it while we ate. Other times, we'd enjoy a bowl of broken-up bread pieces with honey and a bit of milk for dinner -- because we wanted to, it was that good.

So, today. The last of the bread was used up in today's lunches. It was a rainy day, so I decided that I would make up a couple loafs of bread and we could use that so that I didn't have to go to the store. And who doesn't love home-baked bread!

I got out my handy red and white checked 'Better Homes' cookbook and all the ingredients and went to work.

Well, it takes a long time, bread does. And it's messy. And did I mention that it takes a long time? Nevertheless, I was enjoying feeling like a good, old-fashioned stay at home mom.

Well, I think my first clue was when there was dough stuck all over my hands, not clean hands kneading beautifully sculpted dough like in the picture in the Better Homes cookbook. My second clue was when I let it rise (just like I was instructed) in the oven, covered, with a pan of hot water sitting under it, for an hour, and it hadn't rised at all!

I went about following the instructions, because, come on, it's a loaf of bread, not brain surgery!, thinking surely it would all turn out in the end.

Here's the final product.

( That bottom one looks like a dog bone or something. I bet even a dog would turn away from this.)

(I wonder why Wonderbread never looks like this!)

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It's not pretty. And it tastes just about as good as it looks.

It's in the trash. I'm going to the store. My talent is going to be appreciating "Mrs. Bairds" talent.

News Flash!

I agree with Barack Obama. It doesn't happen....well, really ever.

Have you seen this guy in an interview (Kanye West I mean, we've seen plenty of Obama)? I think there's something missing. Seriously, and I don't just mean his filter. He can't trail three words together.
I do have to say though, that Beyonce won mega points from me by bringing Taylor Swift back on stage to say her thank you's. Good form, Beyonce.

"I will not be left out!"

Really, I almost couldn't bare the heartache of my baby going to 'school' for 10 whole hours a week. But it was Christian -- even though he only says 'cars', 'trash', 'go', 'hi', and a handful of other rarely understood words -- who almost forced me to send him to the Mother's Day Out program. (Can you feel the sarcasm dripping like the humidity at high noon in July in Houston?)

He did a great job. No tears. When we first got to the classroom on the first day, he did grab my hand as we were walking in the door and tried to turn and bolt, but that was partly my fault. I completely forgot about his "meet the teacher" the week before, where he would have known what he was getting in to. Maybe it was better this way. Anyway, he at least knows the school. He took Samy there last year for her Pre-K and cried each day we dropped her off and he couldn't stay. Here you go, buddy! Stay all day! See you at 2. Other than the wanting to bolt, it seems like he is really liking it. He's even gotten his back pack on non-school days and headed for the door. His daily reports say that he is happy and "a sweetie" the teacher wrote. He likes it.

Mom likes it too. It's a win-win!

Sunday Funnies

While getting ready for church:

Maren: Mom, I don't ever hear you 'toot'. I hear your big, loud burps all the time, but never any 'toots'.

Me: Yeah, well, if those have to happen, I try to keep it private.

Maren: I mean, your burps are the best ever.

Me: Thanks Mare, I try.

Minutes after the Stake President reads an official letter from the pulpit in regards to Swine Flu and what we need to do to stay clear Samy does a big, uncovered sneeze. :

Geoff and I burst into laughter as quietly you can in church.

Samy: Why are you guys laughing?

Geoff: Because we love you.

Samy: You're lying, you're making fun of me.

Yet another trip to the past, I gotta stop doing this...

On the 28th of August, Christian turned 2. He's been terrible for quite some time, but now he is officially Terrible Two. Every day, as I laugh or shrug off his shinannigans, I am reminded why he is child number 5, and child number the last. I'm very type-A and was way too uptight to have had this little man earlier in the family. (Father knows best). Now I can -mostly - laugh at it all. And I can certainly enjoy every bit of him!

I just adore this little man. Happy 2nd Birthday Christian!

Come with me back in time, won't you?

It's like the second half of August just disappeared. School happened and I was only somewhat coherent. So, we're just going to go back and pretend that I am documenting my sweet little girls first day of Kindergarten on, well, the first day of Kindergarten instead of now - the second week of school. Poor fourth child.

Samy was so excited to go to school. Secretly, I have been a little worried that she is going to come home some day and say that she doesn't like it any more, or is bored and doesn't want to go every day. So far, so good. Her teacher is a gem, and one of her best buddies, Ty, is in his class (thanks for letting me ride your coat tails, Emily!).

She put on her new clothes and her new pink tennies, packed her new backpack and lunch kit, and war raring to go. It's funny; she seems so big and grown up to me lots of times, but putting her in that school uniform and sending her to school made her seem really little. I'll get over it. Oh, I am over it!


By the end of the day, her new pink tennies had given her blisters on the heels of her feet, so she walked out of school on her tip toes. That's okay, she walks like that subconsciously anyway.

Geoff and I walked her into her class room. She went to her desk and waived good bye. We snapped a picture and took off. As we rushed down the hall and out of the school, Geoff said something like "can you tell we're fourth-time parents?" I said, yeah, with Christian, if I can't find a bus to put him on, I'll make him jump out as I slow down in front of the school." We're awesome like that.


I'm not totally unsentimental. I had to rush back out to the parking lot to get Logan and Maren, whose bus never showed up, and take them to their magnet program school a half hour away. We went home and got Christian, whom I had left with Eric (nice, babysitting on the morning of the first day of school - yee haw, 8th grade!) and loaded him in the car. Drove the kids to their school, now an hour late on their first day. Then Christian and I got to spend the rest of the morning at the School Admin office complaining about the lack of communication and lack of "courtesy" from the Transportation department. I won't go into any more detail. I've slept since then -- maybe it is better that I let time pass before posting. No one needed to hear my rant about this.




So, Eric didn't get a first day of school picture because for his first day he left on his own with a hearty "Have a great day. Lock the door behind you when you leave!" I love independent teens!

When Christian and I got home that morning and all the kids were gone, he would not come in the house. He stood out in the back yard (and it was hot!) for about 30 minutes babbling up a storm (still very few words from that boy!) and every now and then yelling for the "gys!". Then when I guess he'd figured out they weren't coming to his calls, he came in and stood at the bottom of the stairs and kept yelling "gys!" So dang cute!

School is good.