Agh! 6 inches of snow are forecast for Monday - that could mean no school. It could mean no school and no packers. It could mean no school, no packers and no clear route to take doggy to respite for the week. More likely it will mean no school, no clear route to take doggy and ........packers arriving! That's about the half of it at the moment!
So today we've cleared out most of the electrical equipment, been to get the small Beehives' haircut and by 3.30 we decided to share a movie and some copporn (according to Little Miss Beehive!).
Ah well, with the "minor stresses" in our life right now, some copporn might be just what the doc ordered, alright officer??
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Wheeew - and pause for breath!
Whoa, where the heck am I on this roller coaster right now?!
It's been manic- okay, rephrase that, it's been more manic than normal!
Mr Beehive is now working full time in Scotland and we are awaiting the imminent arrival of boxers and men wot pack to go with them.
It's been a rough ride for the last three weeks, all of them were sick the first week that Daddy left - nice timing guys, bringing me to my knees mid week. Then my mum came out - that wasn't rough at all - a blessing most definitely, but the leaving brought the tears - from the children.
Master Beehive the elder has been a troubled soul for the last few months. Part of this is down to the change in his school environment since September, he has a new teacher who, naturally, has new and different ideas and he is feeling the aftershock of the implementation of this. I am saddened by this as I no longer watch my happy child go into school and instead see this dejected, fallen character trudge his way up the corridor as if I've sent him along the green mile!
I'm putting lots of this down to the move and some of it down to this teacher shift and perhaps a small personality clash. I think the beauty and curse of Montessori is that you are with the same teacher for three years. If the child bonds well with this teacher, as MB the elder did with the previous teacher, then when there is a change - they can be hit hard.
Then, this weekend, daddy flew in for 48 hours and surprised them. It was a fantastic weekend, we just mooched as a family all weekend, went to the IMAX to see Grand Canyon, went to the aquarium, played chess and read books and basically had a fun fun time. But, weekends always pass so much quicker when one is having fun.......so this week, we are back to the drawing board again.
Things are picking up speed with trying to cram everything in before we leave. I'm teaching twice a week and fitting in hair appts, opticians, dentists, friends and all sorts.
Sorting clothing is the hardest - we need to pack for snow in Lake Tahoe, warm spring in San Francisco and Napa and then presumably wet and dreary in the UK and we only have two suitcases between us!! Working out what we're going to need three weeks from now when we have 54F one day and then snow and ice the next is proving challenging!
Oddly, we've moved so many times, you'd think we'd be dab hands at it. I've moved twice pregnant and once with a very small baby across continents too........I have to say, hand on heart, it is far harder, doing the shift with an older child. The depth of his thoughts and the release this is manifesting in quite defeats anything I was prepared for.
I'm cooking a big pot of chicken noodle soup right now - it's meant to be good for the soul. I hope it reaches out to my sad boy at the moment!
It's been manic- okay, rephrase that, it's been more manic than normal!
Mr Beehive is now working full time in Scotland and we are awaiting the imminent arrival of boxers and men wot pack to go with them.
It's been a rough ride for the last three weeks, all of them were sick the first week that Daddy left - nice timing guys, bringing me to my knees mid week. Then my mum came out - that wasn't rough at all - a blessing most definitely, but the leaving brought the tears - from the children.
Master Beehive the elder has been a troubled soul for the last few months. Part of this is down to the change in his school environment since September, he has a new teacher who, naturally, has new and different ideas and he is feeling the aftershock of the implementation of this. I am saddened by this as I no longer watch my happy child go into school and instead see this dejected, fallen character trudge his way up the corridor as if I've sent him along the green mile!
I'm putting lots of this down to the move and some of it down to this teacher shift and perhaps a small personality clash. I think the beauty and curse of Montessori is that you are with the same teacher for three years. If the child bonds well with this teacher, as MB the elder did with the previous teacher, then when there is a change - they can be hit hard.
Then, this weekend, daddy flew in for 48 hours and surprised them. It was a fantastic weekend, we just mooched as a family all weekend, went to the IMAX to see Grand Canyon, went to the aquarium, played chess and read books and basically had a fun fun time. But, weekends always pass so much quicker when one is having fun.......so this week, we are back to the drawing board again.
Things are picking up speed with trying to cram everything in before we leave. I'm teaching twice a week and fitting in hair appts, opticians, dentists, friends and all sorts.
Sorting clothing is the hardest - we need to pack for snow in Lake Tahoe, warm spring in San Francisco and Napa and then presumably wet and dreary in the UK and we only have two suitcases between us!! Working out what we're going to need three weeks from now when we have 54F one day and then snow and ice the next is proving challenging!
Oddly, we've moved so many times, you'd think we'd be dab hands at it. I've moved twice pregnant and once with a very small baby across continents too........I have to say, hand on heart, it is far harder, doing the shift with an older child. The depth of his thoughts and the release this is manifesting in quite defeats anything I was prepared for.
I'm cooking a big pot of chicken noodle soup right now - it's meant to be good for the soul. I hope it reaches out to my sad boy at the moment!
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
The final countdown
Doesn't that title make you want to release your hair and start banging your head around? Problem is, I had actually a completely different song in my head with a different tune, only couldn't remember the name of it.......or any of the lyrics, so.........Europe it is! It makes for hard googling when the only help you can come up with is "la la, la la la la"
Well I suppose it's pretty apt coming from where we're coming and .........well, going where we're going!!
I love nights where you just put the world to rights. Tonight a friend and I put the world to rights over cold pizza, the wrong salad and beers out of a Sigrid Olsen bag! Not bad eh for a pair of middle aged thirty somethings with staaaaaaayle? Shame we couldn't have put the salad right, warmed the pizza and not drunk as much as we did, but.........well, these things are best left alone n'est pas?
We are in week six before we leave week, which is seeing yet more children off school, this time, to coin a phrase, with "attics and basements" - delightful for those of you contemplating lunch or dinner. I did actually make it out of the house yesterday for nearly a complete day, on my own, without children, however, it appears today that I was to pay penance with a yakker in one toilet and a squitter on the other! I think I really p******d off the guy in the white suit somehow.
Our airshipment, which left our home on January 30th, has just, yes, JUST, left the USA. It has been sitting, uselessly, in a warehouse in Jersey, doing.........well, nothing really for the past 11 days. No one saw fit to let us know this, Mr Beehive has had to go out and purchase the items (cutlery, pans, linen etc) needed from the airshipment, hence the fact they actually were in the airshipment in the first place..........oh well for customer service. I wonder if our pizza had been sitting in the same warehouse in Jersey? Wouldn't surprise me in the least! Anyhoo, Mr Beehive has been turning up the heat and being quite a tiger in his approach. I saw disgruntled words in an email this evening that made my hair stand on end!! I suppose the moral is, never get between a man and his milk pan or bottle opener!
Mother of the Beehive comes out tomorrow (hopefully) I don't think I got her destination wrong when I booked her ticket mwahhahaha! The children are all desperate to see her and have a year's worth of games and puzzles to keep her amused. I, on the otherhand have a year's worth of eyebrow waxes, massages, coffee shops and bookshops to amuse me - and her I hope!
Well, it is 11.18pm - that's well and truly past my bedtime, it's a weekday and I am fueled with good convo, bad pizza and excellent vino. Tomorrow is.......well, another day........so, with that I bid you a good night!
Well I suppose it's pretty apt coming from where we're coming and .........well, going where we're going!!
I love nights where you just put the world to rights. Tonight a friend and I put the world to rights over cold pizza, the wrong salad and beers out of a Sigrid Olsen bag! Not bad eh for a pair of middle aged thirty somethings with staaaaaaayle? Shame we couldn't have put the salad right, warmed the pizza and not drunk as much as we did, but.........well, these things are best left alone n'est pas?
We are in week six before we leave week, which is seeing yet more children off school, this time, to coin a phrase, with "attics and basements" - delightful for those of you contemplating lunch or dinner. I did actually make it out of the house yesterday for nearly a complete day, on my own, without children, however, it appears today that I was to pay penance with a yakker in one toilet and a squitter on the other! I think I really p******d off the guy in the white suit somehow.
Our airshipment, which left our home on January 30th, has just, yes, JUST, left the USA. It has been sitting, uselessly, in a warehouse in Jersey, doing.........well, nothing really for the past 11 days. No one saw fit to let us know this, Mr Beehive has had to go out and purchase the items (cutlery, pans, linen etc) needed from the airshipment, hence the fact they actually were in the airshipment in the first place..........oh well for customer service. I wonder if our pizza had been sitting in the same warehouse in Jersey? Wouldn't surprise me in the least! Anyhoo, Mr Beehive has been turning up the heat and being quite a tiger in his approach. I saw disgruntled words in an email this evening that made my hair stand on end!! I suppose the moral is, never get between a man and his milk pan or bottle opener!
Mother of the Beehive comes out tomorrow (hopefully) I don't think I got her destination wrong when I booked her ticket mwahhahaha! The children are all desperate to see her and have a year's worth of games and puzzles to keep her amused. I, on the otherhand have a year's worth of eyebrow waxes, massages, coffee shops and bookshops to amuse me - and her I hope!
Well, it is 11.18pm - that's well and truly past my bedtime, it's a weekday and I am fueled with good convo, bad pizza and excellent vino. Tomorrow is.......well, another day........so, with that I bid you a good night!
Sunday, February 08, 2009
The great thaw of 2009!
Well that's the end of week one. We've marked a whole week off our chart, now only 6 more until we see Daddy again!~
What have we done this week? That's a good question. Mostly hunkered down in front of the fire, trying to shake off the shivers and aches, watched most of the Harry Potter films and the little Miss has learned she can move one eye without the other *sigh*!! Everytime I need to be serious or stern with her, she looks at me and moves her eyes independently with a big grin on her face. How can I stay mithering?!! Not to mention know which eye I am actually directing my disdain toward, accompanied by:
"I can seeeeee you mama...........there's two mamas" think Jack Nicholson with blond pigtails!
(or not if you'd rather!!)
...... she's hysterically funny, and she knows it too!
The leurgy started with the Little Miss last Monday, she was off Monday, Master Beehive joined her Tuesday (and there was a snow afternoon). He was off Tuesday and by Wednesday it'd brought me to my knees along with Master Beehive the younger (HE hadn't brought me to my knees, the leurgy had - well, at that point anyway, the first point happened by about 4.55pm!).
LMB was back in by Thursday as was Master Beehive the younger, however, he lasted 2 hours (I'd obviously misread his illness which had been mysteriously disguised as the running-around-the-house-like-crazy-kalooha-the-day-before symptoms!) oops *1 badmummy point. So I kept him off on Friday despite my hunch that he was really okay now - and picked up his work that he needed to finish from school mwahahahaha!!!
Today, Sunday, Master Beehive the elder has had a sleepover. What a delight! Normally I hear cringing stories about sleepovers that make me want to avoid them until the kids are at least 40! Stories of crying, homesickness, late nights (or rather very very early mornings!) too much sugar, too much noise, too much - agghhh. Well, this is the second sleepover we've had here, different children, one for each boy......they were asleep by 10pm and even allowed me to make a phone call this morning and enjoy my morning coffee without surfacing! And the manners!!! "Fank oo Mrs Patterson, yis Mrs Patterson, fanks Mrs Patterson!" *aaaahhhh* I think we'll do this more often!!!
Finally, for those of you with snow......remember this........what is wonderful and beautiful to start with......ends in slush and water, loooooooooots of water. You will find buried, that which was on the ground two months previous.
Today, I am going turd fishing! The dog poo I missed before the snow fell, then the ice, then the rain, then the ice, then the snow......oh and then the snow.........has finally drifted to the surface with the thaw.
Now, I'm not exactly sure what I'm going to need to wade knee deep in canine sewerage? Would one of the kid's rock pool nets do it, or am I going to need serious block and tackle. My fear is the fall out if I scoop the schmuck in a net- will it be like trying to seive a chocolate mousse? I've tried a spade in the past and that's just found me racing around the yard after a lump or two, cursing loudly and I'm probably likely to slip on the piles waiting for collection, which doesn't put pretty pictures in my head right now.
.......it's a real doggy doo dilemma - I'm sure archeologists didn't have this problem after the ice age!
What have we done this week? That's a good question. Mostly hunkered down in front of the fire, trying to shake off the shivers and aches, watched most of the Harry Potter films and the little Miss has learned she can move one eye without the other *sigh*!! Everytime I need to be serious or stern with her, she looks at me and moves her eyes independently with a big grin on her face. How can I stay mithering?!! Not to mention know which eye I am actually directing my disdain toward, accompanied by:
"I can seeeeee you mama...........there's two mamas" think Jack Nicholson with blond pigtails!
(or not if you'd rather!!)
...... she's hysterically funny, and she knows it too!
The leurgy started with the Little Miss last Monday, she was off Monday, Master Beehive joined her Tuesday (and there was a snow afternoon). He was off Tuesday and by Wednesday it'd brought me to my knees along with Master Beehive the younger (HE hadn't brought me to my knees, the leurgy had - well, at that point anyway, the first point happened by about 4.55pm!).
LMB was back in by Thursday as was Master Beehive the younger, however, he lasted 2 hours (I'd obviously misread his illness which had been mysteriously disguised as the running-around-the-house-like-crazy-kalooha-the-day-before symptoms!) oops *1 badmummy point. So I kept him off on Friday despite my hunch that he was really okay now - and picked up his work that he needed to finish from school mwahahahaha!!!
Today, Sunday, Master Beehive the elder has had a sleepover. What a delight! Normally I hear cringing stories about sleepovers that make me want to avoid them until the kids are at least 40! Stories of crying, homesickness, late nights (or rather very very early mornings!) too much sugar, too much noise, too much - agghhh. Well, this is the second sleepover we've had here, different children, one for each boy......they were asleep by 10pm and even allowed me to make a phone call this morning and enjoy my morning coffee without surfacing! And the manners!!! "Fank oo Mrs Patterson, yis Mrs Patterson, fanks Mrs Patterson!" *aaaahhhh* I think we'll do this more often!!!
Finally, for those of you with snow......remember this........what is wonderful and beautiful to start with......ends in slush and water, loooooooooots of water. You will find buried, that which was on the ground two months previous.
Today, I am going turd fishing! The dog poo I missed before the snow fell, then the ice, then the rain, then the ice, then the snow......oh and then the snow.........has finally drifted to the surface with the thaw.
Now, I'm not exactly sure what I'm going to need to wade knee deep in canine sewerage? Would one of the kid's rock pool nets do it, or am I going to need serious block and tackle. My fear is the fall out if I scoop the schmuck in a net- will it be like trying to seive a chocolate mousse? I've tried a spade in the past and that's just found me racing around the yard after a lump or two, cursing loudly and I'm probably likely to slip on the piles waiting for collection, which doesn't put pretty pictures in my head right now.
.......it's a real doggy doo dilemma - I'm sure archeologists didn't have this problem after the ice age!
Wednesday, February 04, 2009
Sponsor my tush!
Despite playing host to the leurgy today, I'm intending to run the Race For Life in Edinburgh in June this year - it's a long way off lol!!It is in aid of Cancer Research. It's a charity I have been a long time supporter of and affects one in four people everyday.
It's a small thing I feel I can do for something that can have such a devastating impact on people's lives and families. Since living in the States, Mr Beehive and I have had several friends and colleagues affected by this tragic potential killer and for that reason, it's time to get my lardarseup and moving.
So please sponsor me, either because you support the cause or because you'd like to see me with a firmer and smaller tush - either way, I don't care!! No donation is too small, and if you feel you'd like to do similar yourself, please go to www.raceforlife.org to find the closest one to you.
If any of my dear American friends would like to contribute, I will be happy to lighten you of your dollars but am not sure if the race for life link will allow you to sponsor me in dollars, in which case, mypaypal account might be better for this, you can contact me personally or leave a note at the bottom of my blog. You can click the link below to send your kind donations directly to my fundraising page.
Thank you all so much.
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Snow Day!
We've had a snow day here today, so we decided to work on our display of Washington board. Whenever we come back from places the boys have tons of tickets and leaflets and a few postcards that we put into their scrap books. The books are looking really impressive now as we started them when we arrived in the US and have been fairly good at keeping them up. We have all the places we've visited, Arizona, Cape Cod, Mexico, Canada etc. This time, we decided this time to do a board as well to go in our school room in the new house in Edinburgh, to remind us of our times here.
I was in charge of "the glue stick" and the boys were in charge of concept, design, layout and production (I always manage to get the menial tasks ho hum!)
I love how Master Beehive the younger has spelt "Air and Space"
Master Beehive the Elder decided it was imperative to write at least half a page on being a spy!
The snow that fell today has been totally fantastic for sledding. It has a thin layer of ice over the top so the sled course has run the whole length of the garden!
Oh and of course, eating snowflakes, which were, by this point, more like rain.
I was in charge of "the glue stick" and the boys were in charge of concept, design, layout and production (I always manage to get the menial tasks ho hum!)
I love how Master Beehive the younger has spelt "Air and Space"
Master Beehive the Elder decided it was imperative to write at least half a page on being a spy!
Little Miss Beehive and I chose to make bread for lunch and at the same time experiment with some Rye and make a pumpernikel. Unfortunately it came out a little solid so we might build an igloo with it later this afternoon! The bread for lunch was tasty enough though! Not to worry, just a few more weeks and I will be back in the company of my breadmaker!!!
The snow that fell today has been totally fantastic for sledding. It has a thin layer of ice over the top so the sled course has run the whole length of the garden!
Oh and of course, eating snowflakes, which were, by this point, more like rain.Monday, January 26, 2009
Washington D.C and awesome adjectives!
Why is it, the gems are always discovered just as you are about to move on?
This weekend we discovered DC! I know, we've only been here four years and in the final four or so weeks, are on a frantic tour of all the things on our "101 things to do before you leave list", this list, I hasten to add is separate to the "redirect the mail, pack boxes etc" list!
So, here in pictures is our weekend:
First stop - Breakfast with Barack!
Washington Memorial taken from the Lincoln Memorial, across the reflecting pond. Don't be fooled, look closely at the pond and you'll see the real temperatures we were contending with!!! I always wanted to see this exact picture in the flesh. It's the scene in Forrest Gump where Jenny runs through the pond to meet him at the Vietnam vets service (I think!) anyhoo, I had images of this place being all green and grassy - forgetting that just last Tuesday there had been hundreds of thousands of people tromping the grass flat at the inauguration (and hundreds and hundreds of port-a-potties were still remaining in rememberence of this event!!)
Mr Lincoln
....and the very second inaugural address. I love this, it shows the vastness of this piece of stonemasonry.
We found Connecticut!!
The National Archives, home to the Declaration of Independence, the 1297 Magna Carta, the Bill of Rights and the Constitution.
Okay, so the intermission here is where we went to the International Spy Museum (no photos allowed............well, we were all spies for the afternoon!) - what fun that was. We all had to assume the identity of a spy and go through a "mission". The kids got to crawl along air ducts and try out bugging equipment etc etc and learn about some of history's most well known (they obviously didn't quite get it?!) spies. There are more spies in DC than in any other city in the world! Whether they are all there at one time remains to be seen, and I bet none of them look like Daniel Craig *sigh*
The US. Capitol complete with scaffolding still in place after Tuesday!
This weekend we discovered DC! I know, we've only been here four years and in the final four or so weeks, are on a frantic tour of all the things on our "101 things to do before you leave list", this list, I hasten to add is separate to the "redirect the mail, pack boxes etc" list!
So, here in pictures is our weekend:
First stop - Breakfast with Barack!
Washington Memorial taken from the Lincoln Memorial, across the reflecting pond. Don't be fooled, look closely at the pond and you'll see the real temperatures we were contending with!!! I always wanted to see this exact picture in the flesh. It's the scene in Forrest Gump where Jenny runs through the pond to meet him at the Vietnam vets service (I think!) anyhoo, I had images of this place being all green and grassy - forgetting that just last Tuesday there had been hundreds of thousands of people tromping the grass flat at the inauguration (and hundreds and hundreds of port-a-potties were still remaining in rememberence of this event!!)
Mr Lincoln
....and the very second inaugural address. I love this, it shows the vastness of this piece of stonemasonry.We found Connecticut!!
The Washington Memorial
The White House from the top of the Washington Memorial. Pres. Obama's landing pad for the 'copter!
The White House from the top of the Washington Memorial. Pres. Obama's landing pad for the 'copter!
The. Declaration. of. Independence! W O W !! Look really, really closely and you'll see John Hancock's siggy - central about two thirds of the way down...........I did say look really, REALLY closely!!! It is nearly 250 years old, not just another example of dreadful snapping!
Not photographed was the Holocaust Museum that we visited. They have a truly moving exhibition specifically for children so we decided to go and learn about that too. We didn't visit the rest of the museum as we felt the children may have been a little disturbed by it at the moment.
One very tired and extremely cold girl atop an open top bus (yes, I know, January, but there's no such thing as cold weather, just bad clothing!!!) at the end of day one!
Day Two - TeamBee ready for the off!
First stop - the National Air and Space Museum. We managed to lose 3 hours here easily. Our favourite parts being the cool computer imagery that we could play with that showed satellite images of the world and we could zoom in on specific places and see the landformation and then see a night image and areas of population etc. (that was very cool, and I am beginning to sound like my eldest son!!!!!!!!), the simulation ride of a fighter plane taking off from an aircraft carrier and the hands on exhibition for the kids about Flight and Air!
Not photographed was the Holocaust Museum that we visited. They have a truly moving exhibition specifically for children so we decided to go and learn about that too. We didn't visit the rest of the museum as we felt the children may have been a little disturbed by it at the moment.And then in the midst of all the sandstone .... a gothic inspired cathedral, that was only completed 20 years ago ?!
One very tired and extremely cold girl atop an open top bus (yes, I know, January, but there's no such thing as cold weather, just bad clothing!!!) at the end of day one!
Day Two - TeamBee ready for the off!
First stop - the National Air and Space Museum. We managed to lose 3 hours here easily. Our favourite parts being the cool computer imagery that we could play with that showed satellite images of the world and we could zoom in on specific places and see the landformation and then see a night image and areas of population etc. (that was very cool, and I am beginning to sound like my eldest son!!!!!!!!), the simulation ride of a fighter plane taking off from an aircraft carrier and the hands on exhibition for the kids about Flight and Air!
The genuine capsule from Apollo 11!
The Hubble Space telescope (well, a full sized model!)
Three hours later (and many, many more photos) and we're back on the bus again: This time, the Pentagon from the Arlington Memorial bridge.
A hopeless photograph of Arlington Cemetery Va. There are literally hundred upon hundreds of white tombstones in this cemetery many for war veterans and others for the likes of Glen Miller and Matthew Henson and of course, the eternal flame lit by Jackie Kennedy for her husband John. This is an appalling picture and in the spring the whole place is awash with cherry trees, a gift from the Japanese.
The Hubble Space telescope (well, a full sized model!)
Three hours later (and many, many more photos) and we're back on the bus again: This time, the Pentagon from the Arlington Memorial bridge.
A hopeless photograph of Arlington Cemetery Va. There are literally hundred upon hundreds of white tombstones in this cemetery many for war veterans and others for the likes of Glen Miller and Matthew Henson and of course, the eternal flame lit by Jackie Kennedy for her husband John. This is an appalling picture and in the spring the whole place is awash with cherry trees, a gift from the Japanese.
Aha! The Ford Theatre, whereupon John Wilkes Booth assassinated Abraham Lincoln on April 14th 1865 during a performance of "Our American Cousins". Apparently he waited for the funniest moment hoping that the shot would not be heard.
He was then taken (Lincoln, that is,) to this house here opposite the theatre, whereupon he died later the next day. There are quite a few gruesome tales to Washington to appeal to the macabre of mind!
The National Archives, home to the Declaration of Independence, the 1297 Magna Carta, the Bill of Rights and the Constitution.
Okay, so the intermission here is where we went to the International Spy Museum (no photos allowed............well, we were all spies for the afternoon!) - what fun that was. We all had to assume the identity of a spy and go through a "mission". The kids got to crawl along air ducts and try out bugging equipment etc etc and learn about some of history's most well known (they obviously didn't quite get it?!) spies. There are more spies in DC than in any other city in the world! Whether they are all there at one time remains to be seen, and I bet none of them look like Daniel Craig *sigh*
The US. Capitol complete with scaffolding still in place after Tuesday!
The Freedom bell outside Union Station.
We rounded off the weekend by going to an Ethiopean restaurant last night. It was a great experience, loved in particular by Master Beehive the younger as we were not given silverware but instead instructed to eat the foods from the platter with flat rolled bread (injera), therefore, for the first time in his life, he was allowed to eat his dinner with his hands without my nagging him to use his knife and fork - bliss!!!
All in all, the weekend was, according to Master Beehive the elder, "frickin' awesome." !!
Our first homework alongside our scrapbooks will be learning new adjectives to describe weekends of fantastic experiences!!!!!!!!!
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
We're losing the plot!
Move + age + distance = lots of stress.
I wonder if Einstein figured that equation out?
Okay, so for the next few weeks, I may blather on about boxes and sticky post it notes and dates, but stay with me, I promise sanity will be resumed somewhere around the summer equinox 2009!!
So yesterday, after flapping and worrying and assessing quotes I finally got the dog sorted. One phone call - that was all it too - all those delay tactics I was employing which increased the worry as to his welfare and it was sorted with one quick phone call to a nice guy called Mark and an extremely large dent in my credit card. Naturally, when he gets over in one piece, he can have a week's respite, then he is off out to work to pay for it - the dog that is, not Mark!!
Secondly I have to say that i am pretty sure Mr Beehive is losing his marbles. Yesterday he took my car keys to work and then proceeded to insist frantically that they were on the peg that I was staring at whilst talking to him on the phone *sigh*. Following that, in the evening, I showed him the list I'd made as to what had to go into which air shipment and explained he'd have a proper suit box for his suits.
I rushed out to a meeting at school - when I returned he'd filled suitcases with his suits and coat hangers? He insisted I hadn't told him, despite remembering the part about the printer we'd discussed IN THE SAME CONVERSATION???!! Worried? Moi?
Finally there was *the visit*. Blimey, it was like being visited by Aggie and wasserface from that cleaning your disgusting pit show. We were visited by eversuchanicelady from the relocation agency, who went around my house with clipboard and pen surveying everything.
"Is that going?" she asks pointing with her pen at my son's box sculpture that he is really proud of.
*gulp* what do I say?
"er.......yes"
"hmmm" is the response
Oh dear - I guess that has lost me marks?!
Anyway, her *conclusion* is that we have too much stuff. Well, I knew that. We came over with 2 small boys and an 8mth old baby. We're going home with 2 larger boys and a 4 year old who has since aquired more than the crib and few cloth diapers she came out with.
The cull has started :-(( I have donned my glasses, clipboard and pen and in my best Robinsoncowellesque manner am deciding on a rating system:
Age:
Usefulness:
Ability to be reassisgned to new home without disturbing the feung shui
Ergonomically pleasing
Ease to be replaced (and cost too!)
Whether it was aquired on a whim.
You get the picture?
You old green sofa, are tonight's biggest loser........
Oh, but please don't worry, it doesn't include children, dogs or husbands.............
just yet ;-))
I wonder if Einstein figured that equation out?
Okay, so for the next few weeks, I may blather on about boxes and sticky post it notes and dates, but stay with me, I promise sanity will be resumed somewhere around the summer equinox 2009!!
So yesterday, after flapping and worrying and assessing quotes I finally got the dog sorted. One phone call - that was all it too - all those delay tactics I was employing which increased the worry as to his welfare and it was sorted with one quick phone call to a nice guy called Mark and an extremely large dent in my credit card. Naturally, when he gets over in one piece, he can have a week's respite, then he is off out to work to pay for it - the dog that is, not Mark!!
Secondly I have to say that i am pretty sure Mr Beehive is losing his marbles. Yesterday he took my car keys to work and then proceeded to insist frantically that they were on the peg that I was staring at whilst talking to him on the phone *sigh*. Following that, in the evening, I showed him the list I'd made as to what had to go into which air shipment and explained he'd have a proper suit box for his suits.
I rushed out to a meeting at school - when I returned he'd filled suitcases with his suits and coat hangers? He insisted I hadn't told him, despite remembering the part about the printer we'd discussed IN THE SAME CONVERSATION???!! Worried? Moi?
Finally there was *the visit*. Blimey, it was like being visited by Aggie and wasserface from that cleaning your disgusting pit show. We were visited by eversuchanicelady from the relocation agency, who went around my house with clipboard and pen surveying everything.
"Is that going?" she asks pointing with her pen at my son's box sculpture that he is really proud of.
*gulp* what do I say?
"er.......yes"
"hmmm" is the response
Oh dear - I guess that has lost me marks?!
Anyway, her *conclusion* is that we have too much stuff. Well, I knew that. We came over with 2 small boys and an 8mth old baby. We're going home with 2 larger boys and a 4 year old who has since aquired more than the crib and few cloth diapers she came out with.
The cull has started :-(( I have donned my glasses, clipboard and pen and in my best Robinsoncowellesque manner am deciding on a rating system:
Age:
Usefulness:
Ability to be reassisgned to new home without disturbing the feung shui
Ergonomically pleasing
Ease to be replaced (and cost too!)
Whether it was aquired on a whim.
You get the picture?
You old green sofa, are tonight's biggest loser........
Oh, but please don't worry, it doesn't include children, dogs or husbands.............
just yet ;-))
Monday, January 19, 2009
Skiving!
I'm hiding!
Don't tell anyone I'm here.
I'm supposed to be detoxing the house and beginning packing. We need to sort stuff into 2 different airshipments, one to go with Mr Beehive, the other to go when we leave for California and the rest will go sea shipment. Sounds easy enough, but believe me, I have no idea what to put in which pile. Do you know what you will need 8 weeks from today?
Yesterday I rug doctored carpets and today my cabinets are getting a face lift and detox! I really know how to live the high life. I've taken all my out of date medicines and suncreams to the chemist to dispose of and have tidyed everything up. I hate to tell you how much haemmaroid cream I found - darn those pregnancies!!
We have band aids and dressings for every eventuality,apart from maybe complete amputation, nd should you decide you require a Barbie plaster over Hello Kitty or Spongebob over Spiderman we can accomodate all your fashion requests!!
So:
Cupboards detoxed: 4
Binbags filled: 5
Boxes packed or moved: erm.......well the movers will do most of it........but probably about 5?! Is that good? no! I thought not!
Coffee drunk: 2 cups (and one was caffeinated *oops*)
Clients that have finally gone into labor: 0 .......... still!
Time spent shirking my duties: well, 30 minutes so far......
Likelyhood I'm going to be discovered? - probably a 75% chance!!!
Don't tell anyone I'm here.
I'm supposed to be detoxing the house and beginning packing. We need to sort stuff into 2 different airshipments, one to go with Mr Beehive, the other to go when we leave for California and the rest will go sea shipment. Sounds easy enough, but believe me, I have no idea what to put in which pile. Do you know what you will need 8 weeks from today?
Yesterday I rug doctored carpets and today my cabinets are getting a face lift and detox! I really know how to live the high life. I've taken all my out of date medicines and suncreams to the chemist to dispose of and have tidyed everything up. I hate to tell you how much haemmaroid cream I found - darn those pregnancies!!
We have band aids and dressings for every eventuality,apart from maybe complete amputation, nd should you decide you require a Barbie plaster over Hello Kitty or Spongebob over Spiderman we can accomodate all your fashion requests!!
So:
Cupboards detoxed: 4
Binbags filled: 5
Boxes packed or moved: erm.......well the movers will do most of it........but probably about 5?! Is that good? no! I thought not!
Coffee drunk: 2 cups (and one was caffeinated *oops*)
Clients that have finally gone into labor: 0 .......... still!
Time spent shirking my duties: well, 30 minutes so far......
Likelyhood I'm going to be discovered? - probably a 75% chance!!!
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
What do you get with a yard or two of cheap fleece?
The answer is .... skirts!
The little miss proudly sporting her skirt (the other two went to friends and their replicas - I made more!! - to cousins). I dont' know why she looks to have her body on back to front though!
The little miss proudly sporting her skirt (the other two went to friends and their replicas - I made more!! - to cousins). I dont' know why she looks to have her body on back to front though!Friday, December 05, 2008
FCUK !!
You must have been put on the spot at least once as a parent, if it is a child who asks loudly in the supermarket why the person in front is smelly/old/fat etc or them telling a teacher how you told daddy he had a gorgeous winkie (neither have happend to me natch!!), then you'll know what it's like.
How do you answer that all important, yet stomach munching question?
This morning Mr Beehive came down the stairs, on the spur of the moment the kids had asked to go to the breakfast club at school and I welcomed the idea of not having a school run, he told them to hurry up and not to f***** about.
Okay, so he didn't actually tell them not to f*** about, only that is what I heard!!!!!!!!!!?????
I turned in shock and asked him if he had said what I thought he did.
"Don't be silly of course I didn't" he retorted. Quite frankly I was hardly expecting him to say yes, but still, I had to make sure I really was deaf and stupid and not just thinking I was!
Of course Master Beehive the elder pipes up in shock "You thought he said the "f" word?"
"I didn't hear him properly" I felt mightily embarassed that I'd thought he had.
Master Beehive the younger then chimes in, "What's the "f" word?"
"F.U.C.K." says MB the elder.
"What's F.U.C.K?" asks MB the younger - then the phonetical genie drops in ...."Oh, FUCK!!" he says so matter of factly.
Of course, I do what any good parent should do in this situation, I crack up laughing!!!
Then my mummy head kicks in and I tell him he shouldn't use the word blah blah blah.
"Why?" - the question of any six year old of course!
"Because it's bad and not nice."
"And besides YOU don't know what it means" says MB the elder
"Well, what does it mean and why can't I say it?"
Okay, so now I need a quick on the spot teachable moment analogy
"Okay so you have two ice creams, in one hand is a chocolate one in a sugar cone, ladened with sprinkles and nerds. In the other is a grass cone with a mud icecream oozing mud and slime down the side and sprinkled with worms and bugs. Which one would you like to eat?....well THAT one is the beautiful English language. What do you think of the other? Yes, it's gross, that is words like the one you heard and other horrible words that don't taste as nice and no one wants to try or hear."
I have never in my life had to work an on the spot analogy quite that fast but I quite like it. Whoever said that chocolate was better than sex got it spot on ;-)
How do you answer that all important, yet stomach munching question?
This morning Mr Beehive came down the stairs, on the spur of the moment the kids had asked to go to the breakfast club at school and I welcomed the idea of not having a school run, he told them to hurry up and not to f***** about.
Okay, so he didn't actually tell them not to f*** about, only that is what I heard!!!!!!!!!!?????
I turned in shock and asked him if he had said what I thought he did.
"Don't be silly of course I didn't" he retorted. Quite frankly I was hardly expecting him to say yes, but still, I had to make sure I really was deaf and stupid and not just thinking I was!
Of course Master Beehive the elder pipes up in shock "You thought he said the "f" word?"
"I didn't hear him properly" I felt mightily embarassed that I'd thought he had.
Master Beehive the younger then chimes in, "What's the "f" word?"
"F.U.C.K." says MB the elder.
"What's F.U.C.K?" asks MB the younger - then the phonetical genie drops in ...."Oh, FUCK!!" he says so matter of factly.
Of course, I do what any good parent should do in this situation, I crack up laughing!!!
Then my mummy head kicks in and I tell him he shouldn't use the word blah blah blah.
"Why?" - the question of any six year old of course!
"Because it's bad and not nice."
"And besides YOU don't know what it means" says MB the elder
"Well, what does it mean and why can't I say it?"
Okay, so now I need a quick on the spot teachable moment analogy
"Okay so you have two ice creams, in one hand is a chocolate one in a sugar cone, ladened with sprinkles and nerds. In the other is a grass cone with a mud icecream oozing mud and slime down the side and sprinkled with worms and bugs. Which one would you like to eat?....well THAT one is the beautiful English language. What do you think of the other? Yes, it's gross, that is words like the one you heard and other horrible words that don't taste as nice and no one wants to try or hear."
I have never in my life had to work an on the spot analogy quite that fast but I quite like it. Whoever said that chocolate was better than sex got it spot on ;-)
Thursday, November 27, 2008
Happy Thanksgiving
It is a hard year to find things to be grateful for in the current climate. Yesterday there was an attrocious terrorist attack in Mumbai, earlier in the year and ongoing are the job losses, people I know, young people and friends are battling cancer and other diseases and this doesn't mention the ongoing trials, tribulations and suffering that so much of the world does on a daily basis, out of the public eye and swept under the carpet.
It is a particularly prolific trying time at the moment, but perhaps there is still something deep that we can be thankful for at least for today. I know for me I am grateful that we are well and healthy (an old cliche, but so true) and I am grateful that we have a roof over our heads and food on the table in front of us. I am also quietly optomistic and hopeful that with some of the economic crisis that is going on, that perhaps the world will start to become a better place, that people might become more empathetic toward each other and that as a world we might begin to be more consciously aware of each other and help those in need much more. I hope that the New Year might start to take a turn for the better for so many families and that would be my thanksgiving wish if I could have one.
I am also grateful for my children, so, so much for the brilliance they've brought into our lives. Yesterday they chose to make up some boxes to send to some people overseas. We decided to send one to a soldier through a friend whose brother is deployed overseas and the other we've sent to some friends in Africa who, by far are not a charity and I hope they won't view it as that, but don't get the frivolity that we are lucky enough to have due to the unselfish choices they've made to help in that part of the world. It's nothing much, some magazines, a dvd, chocolates, some coffee and some little luxuries, but I hope it'll make them smile and think of home!
I also wanted to share a couple of craft projects I'm working on and one I've finished and then I have a recipe too.
This just needs darts to finish the sides.
This is Mr Beehive's sweater. It is knit in the round and I have yet to do the sleeves. It's a very easy raglan, but the yarn is so heavy that my wrists ache if I do too much.
..and this baby is a skirt I made yesterday for myself. It is admittedly a "little prairie girl yeeha", but I like it. The photo on the top shows the ruffle that I made, you can actually see it clearer in the bottom picture.
Finally, a recipe for you to try. I must warn you, it's calorie laden, but ya boo to that, it's lush, it's decadent, it's e.a.s.y!!!!
BTS Cheesecake!!
Two pots of Marscapone cheese (or Philly if you can't get marscapone!)
Three limes juiced and you need the grated rind too.
Enough icing sugar to sweeten the cheese but not overkill
2 packs of ginger snap biscuits
Butter
Small bar of 60% cacao chocolate
1 large glass of wine
Okay, so smash up the biscuits into small pieces, or grind them in a processor. Add about 6 oz of melted butter to the biscuit pieces and then press down firmly into a flan dish and let cool and set in the fridge. Whip up the cheese - do this by hand otherwise it just goes runny! Add sifted icing sugar to taste. Add the juice of three limes (more if you want really tangy, but watch it doesn't get too runny)and the zest from the rind. Stir and place ontop of the now cooled base.
Put back in fridge.
Drink wine!
When it has cooled, use a cheese grater to grate or roll if you are fancy bugger, some curls of chocolate onto the top of the cheesecake.The rest of the chocolate may be consumed at your leisure.
Enjoy!
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Travelling cape
So it looks like our time in the States may finally be coming to an end. I am sure, for those of you that know us, you have been able to read between the lines of my entries over the last few months, but it has been so up in the air. I suppose it isn't really grounded as yet either, it'll either be Edinburgh or London, but likely that Mr Beehive will be gone come the end of the financial half year and we'll either follow in June if I can cope alone that long or at the end of March.
Of course, now comes the time (just as Thanksgiving and Christmas and the Little Miss's birthday draw upon us!) that I need to cull and perge, throw and declutter. This is actually the longest that the Beehive has been in one place, in one house, since I think we both left home when we were 18! Hence we seem to have actually got one or two feet firmly in the door and accrued a shed load of .......stuff!
I feel somewhat how I imagine a child to feel when faced with an entire room to clear and not quite knowing where to start. The feeling is overwhelming, where do I start? What do we really need and not need. What, if push came to shove, could I do without? How much of my life can I really squeeze into a limited amount of boxes?
My first port of call has been the kitchen, which managed to fill one bin bag for charity, then I moved onto my wardrobe which went to another charity and then the children's playroom which is being handed to friends and going to Goodwill. Obviously we will keep what they use a lot, but we have to be realistic that we have lived in, let's face it people......America.........the land of the brave, free and............well, quite frankly frickin' meganormous, so going back to Britain, the land of the equally brave, free, wet and ............itty bitty houses, we may need professional help!!
I have mixed feelings about it all, obviously my adventurous side is ready to go, ready to move on to the next place, my rooted side, my "I hate change" persona (yes, the nomad is obviously a jekyll and hyde character!) is screaming "it'll be awful, you won't see people again, the school, the school.......omg, the school!" That will be a big loss to us. The Montessori school. I am considering, certainly for the short term, to help the children adjust and fill the gap from march to September if we go then, to home educate them, that way I can gently introduce the UK curriculum but with a Montessori style approach. I imagine they'll take to it like ducks to water and as always in these cases, it is me who will have the harder time.
So over the next few months I expect this blog will turn over a lot to our impending move and the trials and tribulations that go with packing up five people, a dog and four years worth of lives. I also have to try to work out how we fit in some of MB the elder's list of "things to do/places to see before we leave" which include Washington DC, The Statue of Liberty (can you believe it - not yet!) and California. I think we can work the first two, the latter I'm not so sure.
Oh and to add insult to injury I've chosen now to give up caffeine......that'll see me right over the next very busy few months.................................................not!
On another note, I have managed to have the most empowering births recently, after a long session of tougher ones I have finally hit a change in the tide. Now, whether that is just these were all second time moms (I imagine that is a lot of it) or perhaps I am actually more aware and practised these days (possibly a tiny part of it!) but since the first VBAC in may this year I am on some kind of roll (of course, saying that I have just burst my big fat bubble of destiny now!).
September saw a 1hr 2om natural birth that I made with 40 mins to spare!
October was a 2 hour 30 min natural VBAC
and on Monday was perhaps one of the hardest births I've ever attended. Again she achieved a natural birth in around six hours, but she found the tail end of it incredibly hard and was not helped by jobsworthy nurses insisting she had to birth on the bed and the jobsworthy IV nurse who couldn't take her blood from her arm when it was on a table and she had to lie down to have her blood taken (wtf is that all about?!) and kept huffing and sighing when my client had a contraction so she was unable to relax enough for the blood to flow, or that she had to have a Hep Lock in at the start. As she transistioned she began to take flight and I did think I might lose her. Her eyes were imploring me to take the pain away and I had to be firm with her, tell her she was nearly there and that she needed to go deep inside herself and find that last bit of inner strength. She was finding that standing leaning over the table was working best for her contractions and I was vigourously rubbing her lower back. She progressed the latter part of first stage (from 4 - 9) incredibly fast, within an hour, and thus (this is why I find hospitals and L & D nurses - some of them- hard work) the nurses didn't believe she was there when she said she had to push. Of course, there she was wanting to push the baby out standing up - no issue, but the nurses decided that was the time to flap like a bunch of hens with a fox up their bum flaps........no one decided that perhaps putting matting under her might be wise (so I grabbed it and moved it just in case) and then some bright spark thought it would be funny to lift her (head fully emerged at that point!) onto the bed.................the baby literally fell as she landed on her back on the bed - luckily one nurse was at least positioned to catch, but had she fallen as the mother was being moved, well it doesn't bear thinking about. Why oh why could she not have been left alone or just helped to kneel down onto the matting I'd laid out underneath her. It is things like this that infuriate the heck out of me as I am totally helpless in a situation like this. I either get evicted from the room (and potentially the hospital and future births there) if I question their authority or I seem to "take the side of the nurses" if I go along with their suggestions. It's a tough call.
So, this may be my last birth until I am established back over the pond somewhere. It seems odd to think that this could be it for now. Mind you, if you are going to go out, at least go out on a high and these last births have certainly done that.
Of course, now comes the time (just as Thanksgiving and Christmas and the Little Miss's birthday draw upon us!) that I need to cull and perge, throw and declutter. This is actually the longest that the Beehive has been in one place, in one house, since I think we both left home when we were 18! Hence we seem to have actually got one or two feet firmly in the door and accrued a shed load of .......stuff!
I feel somewhat how I imagine a child to feel when faced with an entire room to clear and not quite knowing where to start. The feeling is overwhelming, where do I start? What do we really need and not need. What, if push came to shove, could I do without? How much of my life can I really squeeze into a limited amount of boxes?
My first port of call has been the kitchen, which managed to fill one bin bag for charity, then I moved onto my wardrobe which went to another charity and then the children's playroom which is being handed to friends and going to Goodwill. Obviously we will keep what they use a lot, but we have to be realistic that we have lived in, let's face it people......America.........the land of the brave, free and............well, quite frankly frickin' meganormous, so going back to Britain, the land of the equally brave, free, wet and ............itty bitty houses, we may need professional help!!
I have mixed feelings about it all, obviously my adventurous side is ready to go, ready to move on to the next place, my rooted side, my "I hate change" persona (yes, the nomad is obviously a jekyll and hyde character!) is screaming "it'll be awful, you won't see people again, the school, the school.......omg, the school!" That will be a big loss to us. The Montessori school. I am considering, certainly for the short term, to help the children adjust and fill the gap from march to September if we go then, to home educate them, that way I can gently introduce the UK curriculum but with a Montessori style approach. I imagine they'll take to it like ducks to water and as always in these cases, it is me who will have the harder time.
So over the next few months I expect this blog will turn over a lot to our impending move and the trials and tribulations that go with packing up five people, a dog and four years worth of lives. I also have to try to work out how we fit in some of MB the elder's list of "things to do/places to see before we leave" which include Washington DC, The Statue of Liberty (can you believe it - not yet!) and California. I think we can work the first two, the latter I'm not so sure.
Oh and to add insult to injury I've chosen now to give up caffeine......that'll see me right over the next very busy few months.................................................not!
On another note, I have managed to have the most empowering births recently, after a long session of tougher ones I have finally hit a change in the tide. Now, whether that is just these were all second time moms (I imagine that is a lot of it) or perhaps I am actually more aware and practised these days (possibly a tiny part of it!) but since the first VBAC in may this year I am on some kind of roll (of course, saying that I have just burst my big fat bubble of destiny now!).
September saw a 1hr 2om natural birth that I made with 40 mins to spare!
October was a 2 hour 30 min natural VBAC
and on Monday was perhaps one of the hardest births I've ever attended. Again she achieved a natural birth in around six hours, but she found the tail end of it incredibly hard and was not helped by jobsworthy nurses insisting she had to birth on the bed and the jobsworthy IV nurse who couldn't take her blood from her arm when it was on a table and she had to lie down to have her blood taken (wtf is that all about?!) and kept huffing and sighing when my client had a contraction so she was unable to relax enough for the blood to flow, or that she had to have a Hep Lock in at the start. As she transistioned she began to take flight and I did think I might lose her. Her eyes were imploring me to take the pain away and I had to be firm with her, tell her she was nearly there and that she needed to go deep inside herself and find that last bit of inner strength. She was finding that standing leaning over the table was working best for her contractions and I was vigourously rubbing her lower back. She progressed the latter part of first stage (from 4 - 9) incredibly fast, within an hour, and thus (this is why I find hospitals and L & D nurses - some of them- hard work) the nurses didn't believe she was there when she said she had to push. Of course, there she was wanting to push the baby out standing up - no issue, but the nurses decided that was the time to flap like a bunch of hens with a fox up their bum flaps........no one decided that perhaps putting matting under her might be wise (so I grabbed it and moved it just in case) and then some bright spark thought it would be funny to lift her (head fully emerged at that point!) onto the bed.................the baby literally fell as she landed on her back on the bed - luckily one nurse was at least positioned to catch, but had she fallen as the mother was being moved, well it doesn't bear thinking about. Why oh why could she not have been left alone or just helped to kneel down onto the matting I'd laid out underneath her. It is things like this that infuriate the heck out of me as I am totally helpless in a situation like this. I either get evicted from the room (and potentially the hospital and future births there) if I question their authority or I seem to "take the side of the nurses" if I go along with their suggestions. It's a tough call.
So, this may be my last birth until I am established back over the pond somewhere. It seems odd to think that this could be it for now. Mind you, if you are going to go out, at least go out on a high and these last births have certainly done that.
Sunday, November 16, 2008
You've been Elfed!
Be warned, you need tissues, a change of tena and .......a quiet office space!!!!!! Hysterical!!
Sunday, November 09, 2008
It. Is. Done!!!
Ta da!!!!
Wee missy has a new sweater. I am actually very chuffed with my perserverence with this one! It's taken me just over a fortnight and some cursing into the small hours, but it is complete.
So on to the next project, sweater for Mr Beehive the younger now. I found some eco-wool made out of recycled plastic bottles in "The Store that cannot be named" the other day, $2.85 a pop!!!!!!!!! It's really soft too, so I am going to give it a go, see how it knits up.
I will try not to get so embedded in this one that I don't update my blog!!
She's also wearing a recycled skirt that I made from an old sweater I had. Very recycled thrifty girlie today and uber blue too, no idea where that all came about!Monday, October 27, 2008
Puff and Pumpkins!
"Puff the Magic Draaaaaaaaaagon'
lived by the sea,
lived by the sea,
An audit in the Autumn mint
in a land called Hon-on -Sea"
It would appear there may well be another accountant in the offing here!!!! This is LMB's version of that childhood song that her daddy would be proud of!!
And here are my offerings for today, no words (well, bar these few) just photos from an exhibition we went on last night by the riverside. Enjoy!
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Hey there! You with the stars in your .......bum??? and a pumpkin pie recipe!
My son is a freak! It is official.
Meal times in our family are often of a hysterical nature - either humourous, or otherwise! Mostly humourous though! Master Beehive the elder was trying to keep up with the hilarity of his younger siblings crazy word misassociations today, and his freakish abilities were his party piece!
Master Beehive the younger has been in our bed the last couple of nights with a sore tummy. When I have felt it, it has been really hard and taut. As you know, this is my self-confessed vegaphobe, so I blame much of his difficulty in the relief department on his inability to eat much of the green stuff. Naturally, I diagnosed accurately, constapation, which I duly told him. I explained he'd have to drink or eat prunes tomorrow in order to encourage his bowels to get moving properly again.
Of course, this topic came up over the mealtable this lunchtime as I was encouraging him to eat a dahl and some beans that I'd made. Here I was desperately trying to explain he needed to get his bowel less sluggish.
"Why?" asks his older brother
"Because I have Constellations!" his sibling announces proudly!
Of course, we all fell about with this.
Obviously feeling out done in all this giggling, Master Beehive the elder proceeds to show us his party piece as those of you with siblings must understand the intense competition.......
My elder son can, not only bend his forefinger at the first joint only!!! He can cross his eyes.......one.......eye.......at..........a.............time !!!!!!!
I am seriously doubting now that he is of my gene pool!!
And Halloween is only days away too!!!!!!!!
Oh and here is a quick recipe for a twist on Pumpkin pie as we've had three pumpkin inners to use up this week:
Pumpkin Meringue Pie a la moi.
About 2lbs of pumpkins1/2lb of brown sugarteaspoon of cinnamonteaspoon of ginger4oz of butter
Allow it all to gentle simmer until soft, then when it is soft and cool, put it into a food blender and blend until smooth
Then add two egg yolks and stir well. Keep in the fridge until you are ready to use it (won't last more than a day because of the egg!)
For the top topping!!
Make a meringue
Use the two whites and whip up into peaks
Add about 2 tablespoons of icing sugar and 1/2 tsp of vanilla essence
Pour your pumpkin mix onto the pastry base that you can buy or make (pie case)Then put your meringue over the top
Bake in the oven for around 25 mins at about 375 deg F
Pumpkin Meringue Pie!!!
Meal times in our family are often of a hysterical nature - either humourous, or otherwise! Mostly humourous though! Master Beehive the elder was trying to keep up with the hilarity of his younger siblings crazy word misassociations today, and his freakish abilities were his party piece!
Master Beehive the younger has been in our bed the last couple of nights with a sore tummy. When I have felt it, it has been really hard and taut. As you know, this is my self-confessed vegaphobe, so I blame much of his difficulty in the relief department on his inability to eat much of the green stuff. Naturally, I diagnosed accurately, constapation, which I duly told him. I explained he'd have to drink or eat prunes tomorrow in order to encourage his bowels to get moving properly again.
Of course, this topic came up over the mealtable this lunchtime as I was encouraging him to eat a dahl and some beans that I'd made. Here I was desperately trying to explain he needed to get his bowel less sluggish.
"Why?" asks his older brother
"Because I have Constellations!" his sibling announces proudly!
Of course, we all fell about with this.
Obviously feeling out done in all this giggling, Master Beehive the elder proceeds to show us his party piece as those of you with siblings must understand the intense competition.......
My elder son can, not only bend his forefinger at the first joint only!!! He can cross his eyes.......one.......eye.......at..........a.............time !!!!!!!
I am seriously doubting now that he is of my gene pool!!
And Halloween is only days away too!!!!!!!!
Oh and here is a quick recipe for a twist on Pumpkin pie as we've had three pumpkin inners to use up this week:
Pumpkin Meringue Pie a la moi.
About 2lbs of pumpkins1/2lb of brown sugarteaspoon of cinnamonteaspoon of ginger4oz of butter
Allow it all to gentle simmer until soft, then when it is soft and cool, put it into a food blender and blend until smooth
Then add two egg yolks and stir well. Keep in the fridge until you are ready to use it (won't last more than a day because of the egg!)
For the top topping!!
Make a meringue
Use the two whites and whip up into peaks
Add about 2 tablespoons of icing sugar and 1/2 tsp of vanilla essence
Pour your pumpkin mix onto the pastry base that you can buy or make (pie case)Then put your meringue over the top
Bake in the oven for around 25 mins at about 375 deg F
Pumpkin Meringue Pie!!!
Saturday, October 25, 2008
Who cares - I am candle calm!!!
So I have bought a new candle. I know, me, a candle!! I am not a fan of candles that smell, they tend to be really nauseous and sweet or chemical and overpowering, but this candle........THIS candle is my calm!!
Well, that's the idea.
It's a whopper of a candle, so let's hope there is a whop-load of calm in there. It smells really fresh and floral but not too much. Yup, of course, you'll get that - a written description of a scent for you to imagine and enjoy - riiiiiiight??!!
Anyway, Mr Beehive has been away again this week, so let's see....no! I do believe the week was actually pretty uneventful, well apart from the fact that the lappy went down mid week so I presumed it was the re-router to the wireless connection - gosh that sounds like I know what I am talking about - shame of it is, I haven't the first clue so didn't even know what the re-router looked like to re-boot it. As it turned out, t'wasn't that at all, it was me being a dork and I pressed off the wireless button on the front of the computer - well duh, like I knew that was there?!
I had a mad crafting day yesterday, the kids were off school as the teachers were at a conference, so while they played, I sewed. Now I would show you the results, but......right now i can't find the cable to connect the camera to the computer and I think that is how the actual wireless button came to be turned off anyway while I was busy poking my memory card into any available slot........well, that normally works!
I made a sweet Christmas skirt and top for LMB, the underskirt for her 50's polka dot swing dress that I intend to make her and began hat number 5 for the Save the Children knit-one-save-one campaign. I'll try to remember to upload photos when I find the cable. I have a suspicion that it has been posted into one of the washing baskets of clean clothes that I have piling up in our bedroom.
How does one family produce so much laundry? I think my laundry basket is modelled on "The Magic Porridge Pot" and I have yet to find the words to get the darned thing to stop re-filling just as I get to the bottom.
Last week I watched a great video from NAMTA (North American Montessori Teachers Association) called - thieves!- "At Home with Montessori". It was three short clips of three different families with kids at 4months, 7 months and 15 months and the different home environments that they had set up for them. All the rooms were beautifully and carefully organised, as this was the prepared environment. I had to take a moment however to cough rather loudly behind my hand "bullshit"! because here they were showing these great environments with one child in them (two in the last one, but only about 10 months apart) with low level shelving with toys arranged on them (almost like ornaments!) and not a spot of clutter, paperwork, no knitting projects all over the place, no homework piles, no dog, no anything out of place anywhere and most importantly.......NO LAUNDRY?! I wonder if they will loan me their fairy? They could make a killing selling that secret, but then, I don't care - I have a candle!!!
Well, that's the idea.
It's a whopper of a candle, so let's hope there is a whop-load of calm in there. It smells really fresh and floral but not too much. Yup, of course, you'll get that - a written description of a scent for you to imagine and enjoy - riiiiiiight??!!
Anyway, Mr Beehive has been away again this week, so let's see....no! I do believe the week was actually pretty uneventful, well apart from the fact that the lappy went down mid week so I presumed it was the re-router to the wireless connection - gosh that sounds like I know what I am talking about - shame of it is, I haven't the first clue so didn't even know what the re-router looked like to re-boot it. As it turned out, t'wasn't that at all, it was me being a dork and I pressed off the wireless button on the front of the computer - well duh, like I knew that was there?!
I had a mad crafting day yesterday, the kids were off school as the teachers were at a conference, so while they played, I sewed. Now I would show you the results, but......right now i can't find the cable to connect the camera to the computer and I think that is how the actual wireless button came to be turned off anyway while I was busy poking my memory card into any available slot........well, that normally works!
I made a sweet Christmas skirt and top for LMB, the underskirt for her 50's polka dot swing dress that I intend to make her and began hat number 5 for the Save the Children knit-one-save-one campaign. I'll try to remember to upload photos when I find the cable. I have a suspicion that it has been posted into one of the washing baskets of clean clothes that I have piling up in our bedroom.
How does one family produce so much laundry? I think my laundry basket is modelled on "The Magic Porridge Pot" and I have yet to find the words to get the darned thing to stop re-filling just as I get to the bottom.
Last week I watched a great video from NAMTA (North American Montessori Teachers Association) called - thieves!- "At Home with Montessori". It was three short clips of three different families with kids at 4months, 7 months and 15 months and the different home environments that they had set up for them. All the rooms were beautifully and carefully organised, as this was the prepared environment. I had to take a moment however to cough rather loudly behind my hand "bullshit"! because here they were showing these great environments with one child in them (two in the last one, but only about 10 months apart) with low level shelving with toys arranged on them (almost like ornaments!) and not a spot of clutter, paperwork, no knitting projects all over the place, no homework piles, no dog, no anything out of place anywhere and most importantly.......NO LAUNDRY?! I wonder if they will loan me their fairy? They could make a killing selling that secret, but then, I don't care - I have a candle!!!
Sunday, October 19, 2008
The Number 11 bus!
So, no post from me in ages, then two in the same day.
This is probably just because the last one was so ranty - kindofa blogger's guilt!!
Anyhoo! I just wanted to show you these pics - they are so autumnal.
We've been picking pumpkins today - from the garden primarily and then I took the smallest rugrat over to an orchard to do some apples too. So we have:
Our home grown pumpkins - we ended up with 7 or 8 I think - which kind of grew by accident from some fallen seed that fell near the compost and obviously thrived in that area. Now we just have to inform the landlord as to why all his berberis has been strangled *oops*
Green Tomato chutney by the bucketful! Seriously, these are jars four, five and six and there is still a bucket to go when I can summon up the energy!
Mushroom and nut loaf a la moi:
Handful of mushrooms
Handful of raw cashews, 2 handfuls of pistachios
2 cloves of garlic, salt and pepper and whizz these ingredients in the processor.
Add:
about 2oz of grated cheese
A large handful of chopped parsley
4oz of melted butter.
Put the mix into greased loaf tins and push down firmly. Then I cook at around 380degs F for half an hour. It freezes quite well too.
This was LMB's Apple Crisp (well my version)
She chopped about 5 large apples that we mixed with lemon, cinnamon, ginger and ground clove powders (all of it mixed together was no more than a teaspoon!)
Crisp:
The topping is made from around 3oz oats, 2oz of flour, about 6oz melted butter, a large dollop of runny honey to sweeten, a small amount (2oz? ) of brown sugar and a table spoon of flax seed (for the health benefit bit lol!) and then we poured the topping over the apples and it will be baked when the loaves go in.
These pics are all "before" pics, so you can see them afterwards later!
The top pic will be roasted root veggies that have been tossed in oil, garlic and salt. I just LOVE the colours! There is beetroot, small potatoes, squash and parsnip........oh and I put in one small quartered apple too - just for interest in the flavour!!
As you know, I am not a cook that follows specific amounts and values, I know this is infuriating for people who have asked me for recipes before, and I apologise. I really feel that you are the best judge of whether something will taste good or not and you can only really destroy something with too much sugar or too much salt! Anyway, experiment, enjoy!
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