Vanilla Icing

Disappearing...

The white out was all dried up and gummy. Sort of like the bottle of white out that is at the office that I just bought 3 weeks ago. But this 'ink eradicator' from 1966 is still usable!!!!

That was the most interesting find from helping a friend clean out an old house that he and his wife had inherited. The clothes mangler in the basement was the second but I couldn't manage a picture of that one. Everything else appeared to be from the '70s---which means nothing really interesting to look at.

After a bit of convincing, I managed to get Rick to agree to go see 'Run, Fat Boy, Run.' It was very enjoyable and funny. I would definitely recommend it, unless of course you are a 'snooty' movie goer who only likes seeing highly intellectual films.

Jealousy Issues

Yesterday Rick took his first bike ride of 2008. Without me!!!!!! Instead, he took the missionaries from down the street and they all had a very good time. I stayed in with the kids and made pizza for dinner for everyone. Oh, and that 'Rustic Strawberry Cake' form the Martha Steward Outside (Outside Living?) magazine. When the three of them came back, happily tired and very thirsty I only felt a minor twinge of jealousy.

Alright, several slightly medium sized twinges of jealousy. Not the bad kind of jealousy where you want to scratch out someone's eyes but the 'good' kind of jealousy where you are happy for them and want to be that type of happy too so you decide to do something about it.

Today, I did something about it.

I took my bike out today for a ride!!! It was very chilly and I wasn't appropriately dressed at all though I thought I was. My fingers could have used a pair of gloves, my ears some sort of hat underneath my helmet and my body a bigger, heavier sweatshirt type of thing over the 3 shirts I was already wearing. But it was all worth it.

Frick was a little muddy in spots but overall wasn't bad. It was mostly empty too; I saw only 3 runners and about 5 people walking dogs. No bikers. <-----Wimps!

There wasn't a lot of time for a good lengthy ride but I got nearly 8.5 miles in. Ten would have been a better stopping point but I got a later start than I had hoped for because I was searching for a helmet that I no longer own.

Shortly after I had gotten back home and showered, Rick came home from work and we went out for dinner and a stop at Barnes and Noble. Now, we are back at home enjoying doing nothing much at all and resting up for a longer bike ride tomorrow. As long as it doesn't rain. Is it supposed to rain? I'm don't know. I never bother watching the weather because it never seems to turn out very accurate.

My method is much more accurate. I call it the 'See it' method. Everyday when I get up I look out the window. This tells me if it's sunny, cloudy, raining or snowing. Then after I have a cup of tea I usually go wake up Riley and Bob and I let them out. This tells me if it's warm or cold. Simple and always accurate!

Slowing Down....soon

As some of you may know, since October, I've been helping Rick out at the office by answering phones/doing receptionist work. Though I am happy to help out--after all it is our family's business--I have not enjoyed myself after the novelty of getting to dress up in cute 'office' clothes and going to work has worn off. I will spare everyone further complaint because it's not been awful--rather it's just been not for me.

But an end is in sight. Pretty soon the children will be off from school for the summer. I won't be going back to the office in the Fall. And that will be good. I have a long list of things that I hope to be able to do and get done once summer begins. Mainly--

Slowing down.

Not dashing madly about trying to get x, y and z done and instead ending up accomplishing w and some of y. Having time to do things that I want to do---like work on my second novel!---and not feeling guilty about doing it because I haven't gotten things around the house finished. That first chapter is feeling mighty lonely and would love to be joined by a second. Soon.

The itch to write (and I don't count this blog; it feels more like 'talking' than writing) becomes overwhelming until it gets to a point where I walk around all day feeling like I forgot to do something. Like something has been left undone. Except I know what I 'forgot' and what hasn't been done.

I can play with the kids, clean the entire house, cook dinner, bake something, work out and talk to a friend all in one day and if I haven't managed to squeeze in writing I still feel like I've accomplished nothing. I wish I could be like some people and simply let everything go and get my writing in, but I can't. It's like my chore list is an extension of my mind's 'workspace' and I can't work in a cluttered workspace!

I think I'm rambling right now and I will save everyone from further mumbling. I hope you and yours have a perfect slowed down day!

Crepe-y Saturday

This is the last trip picture, I promise! On Saturday, Rick and I got a chance to go out for breakfast while the kids stayed at B & N's to play. We went to the Reading Terminal Market in Downtown Philadelphia which is a place we 'discovered' on our very first trip (a few years ago) to Philly. Of course, it's right out there in the open for everyone to discover but it still feels like a special discovery to us because no one had told us about it ahead of time.

Reading Terminal Market is a large indoor marketplace with many shops packed into it. Here, you can find just about anything you would want in the way of food whether you want it eat it now or take it home for later. We chose to have crepes for breakfast but that was mainly because neither of us were feeling up to oysters or Mid-Eastern that early in the morning! After we had finished our food we did see a place where you could have breakfast cooked by Amish people.

Oh? I didn't tell you about the Amish people? The Reading Terminal Market is an excellent place to go if you have ever wanted to sample some of the delicious things the Amish people make. I'm not sure how many stalls they run in the market but there are certainly several. Canned fruits and vegetables--that's canned in glass jars!--, breads, jams, meats, eggs, and milk are just a few of the things that they bring in from their farms. The only area they are a little lacking in is the handmade items. There are a few things such as hand sewn and hand quilted pot holders but that's not enough to satisfy me. I want to see piles and piles of their wonderful handmade things! Sigh. I suppose it's because their crafted things take a long time to make that many don't show up at Reading Terminal Market. Perhaps they send them to be sold at shops in Lancaster instead? I hope so because Rick has said that we will try to stop in Lancaster the next time we go to Philadelphia.

Exhausted

Yes, they were very tired. And I am too after all of this posting of pictures!

(Sorry 'bout my freaky looking hand!!)

Re-Fuel

Do we look tired? It's time to refuel.

How is any trip complete without visiting the Starbucks in Trump Tower. At first, the children had no clue why we went in the 'ugly browny gold buiding' (translation: ostentatious. no, that's too big of a word to give this place. let's call it tacky!!! yeah, tacky! but still fun) but it didn't take them long to figure it out.

Do they look tired?

mac & FAO

Truly, the coolest Mac store ever!!

Last time I was in NYC, I couldn't get into the FAO Schwartz unless I wanted to wait outside in the cold for upwards of 30 minutes because the lines to get in were so long. This time I got in---okay, we ALL got in--and even Rick must have been impressed because he failed to get any pictures of the inside. We didn't look at hardly anything in it--there was just too much and it was too overwhelming--but Tristyn picked out that ugly dude you see him holding in the picture along with a cute 'Build-Your-Own-Monster' kit that had a stuffed monster body and six freaky looking velcro appendages.

Back to Shopping

This was Maia's (and Elizabeth's) first time to the American Girl Place. Maia was in awe. So much that there wasn't even the barest hint of the gimmies. I'm very proud of her. Or thankful to AGP for stunning her. Either way works.

Maia picked out one outfit, a pair of glasses and a hairbrush for her doll. We also got her an American Girl backpack so she could carry Elizabeth in that instead of having to spend the rest of the day toting her around in her arms.

Elizabeth was going to have her hair done at the hair salon but after waiting for 10 minutes in line we found out that after checking in it would be a 3.5 hour wait!! !!!!

!!!! <----Which leads us to why we bought Elizabeth an 'official' hairbrush.

And why, later, in the car I played beauty stylist.

Rockefeller

What a change from Christmas time!

Still people ice skating-- though lots and lots less than a few months ago!

Tristyn tries out his photography skills.

2.4 <--these titles are getting boring

The Toys'R'Us in NYC has a T-Rex!! How cool is that?

This one also seems to have a thing for hanging stuff over one's head.

Treasure!

What? You don't think a first trip for the kids to NYC should be filled with shopping? Bah! Then, my friend, you are reading the wrong blog because there are few things I like more than shopping in NYC.

Don't worry. Wii didn't buy a Wii. Wii have one already.