Marc is posting TONS of new pictures. Check them out.
Sunday, December 30, 2007
Also, speaking of Grandpa.
I wanted to share these pictures of when my dad made it out last month. It was a great time. He bought us Apples to Apples for Christmas. It is a great game!
Marc is posting TONS of new pictures. Check them out.
Marc is posting TONS of new pictures. Check them out.
Ah. A moment.
Seems like forever since I have been able to sit down and actually concentrate on blogging without the possibility of annoying Marc (because I can't listen to him and type), answering Lola's questions or needs, and/or having to surrender to Sid's needs. It is actually very quiet right now. Sid is asleep, and Marc and Lola took Maggie to the airport.
Christmas was so much fun. Lola got lots of goodies, as did the rest of us. Santa brought her twins and a digital camera. She loves taking pictures. It is a cute, fun little camera. I wish we had opted to buy a camera that took better pictures. The quality is very poor. Check this one out:
Oh, and it has games, special frames and clip art that you can add. Too bad the pictures aren't better. She did take the picture. I am not sure that she added the frame.
Maggie came and spent the holiday with us. We had a fabulous time despite some illness. We drank a lot of champagne, played a lot of wii, and bought lots of shoes. (DSW is having a HUGE discount sale right now. I bought 4 pairs for less than $50.)
Sidney is growing like a weed. He is changing everyday. He has become more content, has started eating cereal, and still wont' sleep through the night. Oh well.
I wanted to blog about a couple of things in particular lately:
I was waiting for the light at Keystone and I80 right before Christmas. There was a gentlemen pushing a wheelchair with an obvious handicap. He had his bags and was carrying his sign. I'm biased about asking for money. On one hand, I can understand being temporarily stuck. On the other, I remember working fast-food, seeing the guys that I saw earlier begging for money ordering burgers, holding their 12 packs. This gentleman received two handouts in the time that I was there. Both were a food item (a can of food and box of food) and a cash handout that he discreetly placed in his pocket. I was overwhelmed with the kindness (one lady got out of her car) and the brilliance of carrying food with them. I am hesitant to give money - unless it is a claim of being stranded or such. I have also heard horror stories of people buying and giving food to those asking (begging) only to be told that they are allergic or don't prefer the food that was presented to them. Really?!?! So to bring this to a conclusion: great idea to carry food in your car and I was totally warmed by the kindness that these people presented to this man.
No big plans on the start of the New Year. I will probably be sleeping to keep in time with Sid. I am hoping to get Lola enrolled in preschool - just need to make some calls this week. Hopefully just a a happy, healthy 2008 for the Tiars. Hey Dad, maybe you could move out this way?
Oh. And my moment. This was finished as it is being published 36 hrs after I first started. They may be short......but they are lovely.
Happy New Year. Best wishes for happiness and good health!
Christmas was so much fun. Lola got lots of goodies, as did the rest of us. Santa brought her twins and a digital camera. She loves taking pictures. It is a cute, fun little camera. I wish we had opted to buy a camera that took better pictures. The quality is very poor. Check this one out:
Oh, and it has games, special frames and clip art that you can add. Too bad the pictures aren't better. She did take the picture. I am not sure that she added the frame.
Maggie came and spent the holiday with us. We had a fabulous time despite some illness. We drank a lot of champagne, played a lot of wii, and bought lots of shoes. (DSW is having a HUGE discount sale right now. I bought 4 pairs for less than $50.)
Sidney is growing like a weed. He is changing everyday. He has become more content, has started eating cereal, and still wont' sleep through the night. Oh well.
I wanted to blog about a couple of things in particular lately:
I was waiting for the light at Keystone and I80 right before Christmas. There was a gentlemen pushing a wheelchair with an obvious handicap. He had his bags and was carrying his sign. I'm biased about asking for money. On one hand, I can understand being temporarily stuck. On the other, I remember working fast-food, seeing the guys that I saw earlier begging for money ordering burgers, holding their 12 packs. This gentleman received two handouts in the time that I was there. Both were a food item (a can of food and box of food) and a cash handout that he discreetly placed in his pocket. I was overwhelmed with the kindness (one lady got out of her car) and the brilliance of carrying food with them. I am hesitant to give money - unless it is a claim of being stranded or such. I have also heard horror stories of people buying and giving food to those asking (begging) only to be told that they are allergic or don't prefer the food that was presented to them. Really?!?! So to bring this to a conclusion: great idea to carry food in your car and I was totally warmed by the kindness that these people presented to this man.
No big plans on the start of the New Year. I will probably be sleeping to keep in time with Sid. I am hoping to get Lola enrolled in preschool - just need to make some calls this week. Hopefully just a a happy, healthy 2008 for the Tiars. Hey Dad, maybe you could move out this way?
Oh. And my moment. This was finished as it is being published 36 hrs after I first started. They may be short......but they are lovely.
Happy New Year. Best wishes for happiness and good health!
Holidays and photos
We're in that weird week between Christmas and New Years when it sort of feels like you shouldn't have to work. I finally cleared off the camera and posted some stuff around here. New pictures of Sidney, Lola, and an entire album of holiday photos, from Thanksgiving to Christmas. Also new videos of Sidney on his page.
We had a great Christmas, and in the tradition we enjoyed as kids, calling each other after opening presents to compare notes on what we received...I'm really enjoying my new Nintendo DS Lite with BrainAge2, drinking good beer, new shirts are ready to be worn, and my coffee is being drunk from a nice mug from Portland. Among other things. We ate, we drank, we were merry.
Welcome, 2008. Let's hope for the best.
We had a great Christmas, and in the tradition we enjoyed as kids, calling each other after opening presents to compare notes on what we received...I'm really enjoying my new Nintendo DS Lite with BrainAge2, drinking good beer, new shirts are ready to be worn, and my coffee is being drunk from a nice mug from Portland. Among other things. We ate, we drank, we were merry.
Welcome, 2008. Let's hope for the best.
Friday, December 21, 2007
Notable news
Just a couple news flashes from the household...
We got a Wii.
Sid apparently has pinkeye.
Maggie's here for the holidays.
That's all for now.
No wait, got a couple pics from that trip to SF a while back to share:
OK, now I'm done.
We got a Wii.
Sid apparently has pinkeye.
Maggie's here for the holidays.
That's all for now.
No wait, got a couple pics from that trip to SF a while back to share:
OK, now I'm done.
Friday, December 14, 2007
Marc's enormous post about all kinds of stuff in our lives
OK, here I am, back again so soon. Still not loading pictures, but my mind was racing last night after posting the last little blurb, full of other little items of note. When I converted the old cheztiar into this blog format, it was in an effort to preserve our little familial goings-on, rather than losing them each time I revised the front page. So at this time, as we approach the end of the year, when everyone is looking back on the past and ahead to the future, I want to toss out a bunch of stuff in that spirit. It may not make for the best reading for you, dear readers; the minutiae of the Tiars' recent lives, spouted forth like a broken sewer main does not "Ulysses" make. But if you're into stream of consciousness, random tidbits, and odds and ends recorded here for posterity, read on...
In the kids department, we had another one this year. Young Sid is going on five months old now. Doesn't sleep through the night. Taking formula isn't going very well. He cries more than Lola did and takes really short naps. But he's growing like a weed, cute as a button, and going to turn out OK. Lola turned three recently, and she's still our little princess. Adorable barely describes her on her worst day. That's still little comfort when she calls us back into her room 3-4 times for a sip of water or other ridiculous reason after going to bed, or when she wakes up at 4am still, or insists on pooping in her diaper (she still sleeps in one) when she knows darn well how to use the toilet like a big girl. Perhaps some regression due to baby brother and new house is going on... Both kids have had their share of colds lately, lots of runny noses, coughing, etc. but we bought a nice vaporizer that keeps a room nice and humid through the night. Speaking of devices we bought, as of a couple weeks ago, we're the proud owners of a remanufactured Roomba robot vacuum. It's still more of a novelty than a real labor saver since you still have to pick up a bunch of toys and shoes and stuff, but it works OK and it's kind of fun. Returning to the topic of Lola for a moment, Morgan toured a couple preschools this week, so we're starting to think about it. Expensive! Need to figure out the best schedule and what's affordable, but we think we've found the place when it's time. No daycare for Sid yet though, we're not ready for that yet.
(This is silly, I started writing this as a text document that I would paste into cheztiar later, but I'm having to do it in such small bits as time permits, I should just be writing online in the first place...but I digress.)
One other thing I envisioned doing a lot of on this here website was sharing books, music, and movies that I've enjoyed (or not) with you all. Not much reading going on these days - by the time I get to bed, too tired to read much, and what I've been reading is pretty dull. I picked up a book on coffee, a sort of reference book on personal finance, and one on making beer. I need to get back into some page-turner fiction. Most of my reading these days is Wired magazine, trying to get through one issue before next one comes, or the various blogs and websites I try to hit every day. I guess reading is reading, but a book would be nice sometime soon.
Speaking of personal finance, that's the other thing on my mind these days. I must be a real grown-up now, I think a lot about ways to retire early, save a lot for retirement, writing a will, and look forward to doing taxes so I can see just how much having a 2nd child and a home equity loan will improve our tax situation. This year, I opened a Flexible Spending Account, another tax break for medical expenses, and enrolled in the Hartford's 457 plan, yet another way to save on taxes and save for retirement pretty easily. Fat nest egg, here I come.
Musicwise, I just recently started listening to Sublime again. After getting the box set earlier this year, it's kind of sat on the shelf for a while, so I brought it out to listen to again, and have been really enjoying it, getting back into their music again. I have to say, I really think they claim the title of "my favorite band ever". Which brings me to a trivial little anecdote. With my renewed interest, I thought I'd look to see what Wikipedia had on Sublime. As expected, a good thorough entry, and good entries on each band member. So, reading through the entry on drummer Bud Gaugh, it mentions he now lives in Nevada. Huh, interesting coincidence. So I visit his MySpace page, read about his new surf band (which sounds great, looking forward to hearing what they put out), and it turns out he lives in Reno at least part of the time. More coincidence. Among all my reading and websurfing, I am referred to a recent SPIN magazine which has a good article on Sublime's legacy and a tribute band back east called Badfish. So I go to find that issue at the library, and Foo Fighters are on the cover. Foo Fighters just announced a concert date here in February, which I think I'll be attending. And the final coincidence...Dave Grohl is wearing a Bucket of Blood Saloon t-shirt on the cover...it all comes back to Reno. (I've always maintained, besides being a great place to live with lots of interesting history, Reno is forever destined to be the footnote to history...famous people get arrested here, relatives of famous people die here, we're mentioned in songs randomly.)
Movies...never get to those much anymore. Netflix (and the library) keeps us in recent release, but all our time is getting sucked up by Six Feet Under these days. I can't give up any more time to TV series!
Changing gears again here, let's talk food and drink. Morgan and I celebrated our fourth anniverary with dinner at Harrah's Steakhouse, probably the oldest fine-dining establishment in town. A bit disappointing, mostly the crowd, but the food was nothing that special. We'll probably return to LuLou's or 4th Street Bistro in the future. And there's always our usual splurge that doesn't really qualify as fine-dining, SUSHI. For now, our attention is on Amish Friendship Bread since receiving a starter for a coworker. I continue to dwell on my love for two beverages - beer and coffee. Someday you'll all be regular customers of Marc's House of Barley and Beans (I still need to work on the name...)
In the technology realm, we're still happily wireless and using the laptop around the house most of the time, but I had an epiphany recently and added 1GB of memory to the desktop PC in the office and it runs SO much better now! Still need to tidy up the hard drive some, and I think I've committed myself to migrating to Picasa to organize and tag photos. With two kids being reared in the age of digital photos, we're rapidly accumulating hundreds of digital photos with little organization. At least I've got some piecemeal backup systems in place, but I need something more systematic I think. Picasa and some kind of offsite storage may be the answer. Not sure when I'll have the time, but at least I've started thinking about it... I dabbled in trying to burn a movie onto DVD, wrestling with the matter from every angle before deciding the DVD burner on the laptop is kaput. Sigh.
I'll toss out a plug here for a game we've been enjoying quite a bit lately, courtesy of Grandpa Dave, Apples to Apples is our latest party-game fascination.
And lastly, I just want to give a shout-out to our little dog Daisy. She's seen some rough times lately, with her diagnosis of Cushing's Disease, recent stomach issues, difficulty with stairs, and general aging. We still love her, and hope she'll stick with us comfortably for a little while longer.
And with that, dear readers, I'll come to a close. If you've read all of this, I owe you a coffee or a beer. Keep coming back to cheztiar in 2008.
In the kids department, we had another one this year. Young Sid is going on five months old now. Doesn't sleep through the night. Taking formula isn't going very well. He cries more than Lola did and takes really short naps. But he's growing like a weed, cute as a button, and going to turn out OK. Lola turned three recently, and she's still our little princess. Adorable barely describes her on her worst day. That's still little comfort when she calls us back into her room 3-4 times for a sip of water or other ridiculous reason after going to bed, or when she wakes up at 4am still, or insists on pooping in her diaper (she still sleeps in one) when she knows darn well how to use the toilet like a big girl. Perhaps some regression due to baby brother and new house is going on... Both kids have had their share of colds lately, lots of runny noses, coughing, etc. but we bought a nice vaporizer that keeps a room nice and humid through the night. Speaking of devices we bought, as of a couple weeks ago, we're the proud owners of a remanufactured Roomba robot vacuum. It's still more of a novelty than a real labor saver since you still have to pick up a bunch of toys and shoes and stuff, but it works OK and it's kind of fun. Returning to the topic of Lola for a moment, Morgan toured a couple preschools this week, so we're starting to think about it. Expensive! Need to figure out the best schedule and what's affordable, but we think we've found the place when it's time. No daycare for Sid yet though, we're not ready for that yet.
(This is silly, I started writing this as a text document that I would paste into cheztiar later, but I'm having to do it in such small bits as time permits, I should just be writing online in the first place...but I digress.)
One other thing I envisioned doing a lot of on this here website was sharing books, music, and movies that I've enjoyed (or not) with you all. Not much reading going on these days - by the time I get to bed, too tired to read much, and what I've been reading is pretty dull. I picked up a book on coffee, a sort of reference book on personal finance, and one on making beer. I need to get back into some page-turner fiction. Most of my reading these days is Wired magazine, trying to get through one issue before next one comes, or the various blogs and websites I try to hit every day. I guess reading is reading, but a book would be nice sometime soon.
Speaking of personal finance, that's the other thing on my mind these days. I must be a real grown-up now, I think a lot about ways to retire early, save a lot for retirement, writing a will, and look forward to doing taxes so I can see just how much having a 2nd child and a home equity loan will improve our tax situation. This year, I opened a Flexible Spending Account, another tax break for medical expenses, and enrolled in the Hartford's 457 plan, yet another way to save on taxes and save for retirement pretty easily. Fat nest egg, here I come.
Musicwise, I just recently started listening to Sublime again. After getting the box set earlier this year, it's kind of sat on the shelf for a while, so I brought it out to listen to again, and have been really enjoying it, getting back into their music again. I have to say, I really think they claim the title of "my favorite band ever". Which brings me to a trivial little anecdote. With my renewed interest, I thought I'd look to see what Wikipedia had on Sublime. As expected, a good thorough entry, and good entries on each band member. So, reading through the entry on drummer Bud Gaugh, it mentions he now lives in Nevada. Huh, interesting coincidence. So I visit his MySpace page, read about his new surf band (which sounds great, looking forward to hearing what they put out), and it turns out he lives in Reno at least part of the time. More coincidence. Among all my reading and websurfing, I am referred to a recent SPIN magazine which has a good article on Sublime's legacy and a tribute band back east called Badfish. So I go to find that issue at the library, and Foo Fighters are on the cover. Foo Fighters just announced a concert date here in February, which I think I'll be attending. And the final coincidence...Dave Grohl is wearing a Bucket of Blood Saloon t-shirt on the cover...it all comes back to Reno. (I've always maintained, besides being a great place to live with lots of interesting history, Reno is forever destined to be the footnote to history...famous people get arrested here, relatives of famous people die here, we're mentioned in songs randomly.)
Movies...never get to those much anymore. Netflix (and the library) keeps us in recent release, but all our time is getting sucked up by Six Feet Under these days. I can't give up any more time to TV series!
Changing gears again here, let's talk food and drink. Morgan and I celebrated our fourth anniverary with dinner at Harrah's Steakhouse, probably the oldest fine-dining establishment in town. A bit disappointing, mostly the crowd, but the food was nothing that special. We'll probably return to LuLou's or 4th Street Bistro in the future. And there's always our usual splurge that doesn't really qualify as fine-dining, SUSHI. For now, our attention is on Amish Friendship Bread since receiving a starter for a coworker. I continue to dwell on my love for two beverages - beer and coffee. Someday you'll all be regular customers of Marc's House of Barley and Beans (I still need to work on the name...)
In the technology realm, we're still happily wireless and using the laptop around the house most of the time, but I had an epiphany recently and added 1GB of memory to the desktop PC in the office and it runs SO much better now! Still need to tidy up the hard drive some, and I think I've committed myself to migrating to Picasa to organize and tag photos. With two kids being reared in the age of digital photos, we're rapidly accumulating hundreds of digital photos with little organization. At least I've got some piecemeal backup systems in place, but I need something more systematic I think. Picasa and some kind of offsite storage may be the answer. Not sure when I'll have the time, but at least I've started thinking about it... I dabbled in trying to burn a movie onto DVD, wrestling with the matter from every angle before deciding the DVD burner on the laptop is kaput. Sigh.
I'll toss out a plug here for a game we've been enjoying quite a bit lately, courtesy of Grandpa Dave, Apples to Apples is our latest party-game fascination.
And lastly, I just want to give a shout-out to our little dog Daisy. She's seen some rough times lately, with her diagnosis of Cushing's Disease, recent stomach issues, difficulty with stairs, and general aging. We still love her, and hope she'll stick with us comfortably for a little while longer.
And with that, dear readers, I'll come to a close. If you've read all of this, I owe you a coffee or a beer. Keep coming back to cheztiar in 2008.
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
A couple holiday treats
First, this gem from my mom featuring a dancing turkey, European-style.
And,trying a little something new, may I present the dancing Tiar family elves. I tried to sneakily download that file and embed it in this posting, but things got all useless with headless elves and black background, so heck with it, I'll just link to it on their site...
I know I've got some new photos to load, just no damn time to get to it! Holidays are upon us, winter's finally here with at least a minor snowstorm, work is busy. Wow, I just looked back at when I last posted. I can't believe since then, we've had visits from Morgan's dad and Maggie, lots of fun with both of them, some Christmas shopping, Sid's 4-month checkup (50th percentile on height and weight, 80th on head size), and, it seems like, lots of other stuff going on. Also got my new tattoo, in honor of little Sid, which I'll post a photo of when I get around to photo updates.
Anyway, I guess that's enough rambles for tonight. One more link of note, for readers of Cory Farley, formerly of RGJ, he's now blogging on his own in his retirement. Good stuff.
And,
I know I've got some new photos to load, just no damn time to get to it! Holidays are upon us, winter's finally here with at least a minor snowstorm, work is busy. Wow, I just looked back at when I last posted. I can't believe since then, we've had visits from Morgan's dad and Maggie, lots of fun with both of them, some Christmas shopping, Sid's 4-month checkup (50th percentile on height and weight, 80th on head size), and, it seems like, lots of other stuff going on. Also got my new tattoo, in honor of little Sid, which I'll post a photo of when I get around to photo updates.
Anyway, I guess that's enough rambles for tonight. One more link of note, for readers of Cory Farley, formerly of RGJ, he's now blogging on his own in his retirement. Good stuff.
Sunday, November 25, 2007
Gobble, gobble
I can't believe that Thanksgiving is already and done with, Christmas is a month away, and that Sidney is 4 months old. I can't believe that the weather has been as nice as it has been - and there are people who still deny global warming?
Lola is just getting over a cold, and Sidney has gotten his second cold already! Poor boy. Can't be easy to be that little and sick.
I cooked Thanksgiving dinner. Highlights has to be the pumpkin gooey cake and the date bars which I intend to perfect. They weren't quite right. But, if you have ever had and liked my gooey cake and like pumpkin - I have got a bite of heaven for you. Lola, Paige and I also made placemats from grocery bags and turkeys with pipe cleaners. It was a funky little table. After Lola ripped off the eyes of the turkeys, it looked more like a massacre on the table.
Lola at the table
My little elves are hard at work trying to get all the Christmas goodies together - okay, I am the only elf. I am dragging out the vintage aluminum Christmas tree again this year and am going with a blue/green decor for Sid. I decorated it all pink after Lola was born. We will be attempting to take the family Christmas photo today or tomorrow.
Wanted to throw in a couple more photos:
Lola in her Princess dress - bday present from Gen and Chris.
Lola and her artwork
Sid and Dada on Thanksgiving Day
Terry and Lola on Thanksgiving
Priscilla and Sid on Thanksgiving
Lola is just getting over a cold, and Sidney has gotten his second cold already! Poor boy. Can't be easy to be that little and sick.
I cooked Thanksgiving dinner. Highlights has to be the pumpkin gooey cake and the date bars which I intend to perfect. They weren't quite right. But, if you have ever had and liked my gooey cake and like pumpkin - I have got a bite of heaven for you. Lola, Paige and I also made placemats from grocery bags and turkeys with pipe cleaners. It was a funky little table. After Lola ripped off the eyes of the turkeys, it looked more like a massacre on the table.
Lola at the tableMy little elves are hard at work trying to get all the Christmas goodies together - okay, I am the only elf. I am dragging out the vintage aluminum Christmas tree again this year and am going with a blue/green decor for Sid. I decorated it all pink after Lola was born. We will be attempting to take the family Christmas photo today or tomorrow.
Wanted to throw in a couple more photos:
Lola in her Princess dress - bday present from Gen and Chris.
Lola and her artwork
Sid and Dada on Thanksgiving Day Terry and Lola on Thanksgiving Priscilla and Sid on Thanksgiving
Cold, turkey, sickness, etc.
Here I am, last day of the best holiday weekend of the year. Four days straight off work. Feels like winter is finally upon us, temperature-wise at least. Nighttime lows in the teens recently so I finally disconnected the garden hoses. No snow yet though. We have enjoyed a few fires in our fireplace, still learning some of the fine points of fire-making and ash removal.
Had a good Thanksgiving dinner here, with family and guests totalling eight adults plus Lola and Sid. Sorry, no photos to share. All the fixings were definitely present along with the big bird, and a good time was had by all.
In other family news, along with winter comes sickness. Lola came down with the barking cough followed closely by runny nose, and crankiness. Now Sid has it, poor little guy - he just doesn't know to cough up the phlegm at night. Last night was really bad, not entirely sickness-induced. Lola threw a big fit at bedtime, crying, screaming, vomit....the whole nine yards. Sid's frequent waking/crying/feeding/stuffiness episodes throughout the last few nights do not a good night's sleep make, either.
Other random goings-on and thoughts...we're on the last episode of season two of Six Feet Under...new neighbors across the street, including two high-school daughters eager to babysit...trying to re-frame Grandpa's arrowhead collection myself after balking at the $953 cost of a real pro job....Morgan and I celebrate four years of wedded bliss this week...maybe
our desktop PC will run faster with an extra GB of RAM I ordered this week...new tattoo in honor of Sid coming next weekend...Grandpa Dave coming to visit this week....out of thoughts for now; until next time, this is Dada, signing off.
Had a good Thanksgiving dinner here, with family and guests totalling eight adults plus Lola and Sid. Sorry, no photos to share. All the fixings were definitely present along with the big bird, and a good time was had by all.
In other family news, along with winter comes sickness. Lola came down with the barking cough followed closely by runny nose, and crankiness. Now Sid has it, poor little guy - he just doesn't know to cough up the phlegm at night. Last night was really bad, not entirely sickness-induced. Lola threw a big fit at bedtime, crying, screaming, vomit....the whole nine yards. Sid's frequent waking/crying/feeding/stuffiness episodes throughout the last few nights do not a good night's sleep make, either.
Other random goings-on and thoughts...we're on the last episode of season two of Six Feet Under...new neighbors across the street, including two high-school daughters eager to babysit...trying to re-frame Grandpa's arrowhead collection myself after balking at the $953 cost of a real pro job....Morgan and I celebrate four years of wedded bliss this week...maybe
our desktop PC will run faster with an extra GB of RAM I ordered this week...new tattoo in honor of Sid coming next weekend...Grandpa Dave coming to visit this week....out of thoughts for now; until next time, this is Dada, signing off.
Monday, November 12, 2007
Finally, an update
Yes, it's time again for Marc to take to the keyboard, whine about how busy he is and never gets around to updating this site, and tosses up a handful of new pictures for your viewing pleasure. First, a fun little photo from recent weeks, we've been trying to keep the bird feeder out in the front yard filled, then enjoying as various little birds, mourning doves, and sometimes blue birds and quail. This particular morning, the quail were THICK at the base of the tree picking up remnants...
Since I last wrote here, we: had a nice visit from Nana, had (sorta) two visits from Maggie, celebrated both my birthday (sushi dinner one night, brewed beer, dinner at Silver Peak the actual night) and Lola's (big party in which the birthday -brewed beer was consumed, Morgan already wrote about it), went in for the big V, trick-or-treated several times (Raley's, our neighborhood, Riverwalk District), got a new windshield for the van, had the kids' pictures taken, flew to California and back in a day for work and visited Ray at the same time, and visited an aunt in Vacaville and a friend in Fernley. Whew. And I wonder why I never have time to write. Of course, now that the holidays are virtually upon us, it may be a while again.
Speaking of beer, I had a great shopping trip to BevMo while in Vacaville, picked up a bunch of micros and imports that I can't get around here. Also on the horizon, a bottle of Utopias with my name on it, probably this week.
Now, about those pictures...you'll find new Lola pics in her album, including a couple from when we met up with visiting friends of the family from France in SF, and a couple from her birthday party. Also a number of new Sidney pictures in his album. And finally, amazingly, a couple Sidney videos so his page actually has some content.
Until I write again, and really, I'll try to get out little posts more frequently, this is Dada, signing off.
Since I last wrote here, we: had a nice visit from Nana, had (sorta) two visits from Maggie, celebrated both my birthday (sushi dinner one night, brewed beer, dinner at Silver Peak the actual night) and Lola's (big party in which the birthday -brewed beer was consumed, Morgan already wrote about it), went in for the big V, trick-or-treated several times (Raley's, our neighborhood, Riverwalk District), got a new windshield for the van, had the kids' pictures taken, flew to California and back in a day for work and visited Ray at the same time, and visited an aunt in Vacaville and a friend in Fernley. Whew. And I wonder why I never have time to write. Of course, now that the holidays are virtually upon us, it may be a while again.
Speaking of beer, I had a great shopping trip to BevMo while in Vacaville, picked up a bunch of micros and imports that I can't get around here. Also on the horizon, a bottle of Utopias with my name on it, probably this week.
Now, about those pictures...you'll find new Lola pics in her album, including a couple from when we met up with visiting friends of the family from France in SF, and a couple from her birthday party. Also a number of new Sidney pictures in his album. And finally, amazingly, a couple Sidney videos so his page actually has some content.
Until I write again, and really, I'll try to get out little posts more frequently, this is Dada, signing off.
Wednesday, November 7, 2007
Tummy aches
Lola has been having some tummy aches since Sid has come along. They seem to come mostly at bedtime and when she doesn't want to what she is told. Dr. Cohen gave her the all clear when she went for her check-up. That really hasn't stopped the complaint. Her is a picture of Lola with her tea to help with her tummy ache.
This does not look like someone with a tummy ache!
This does not look like someone with a tummy ache!
Just had to share
Here are some pictures of Lola with her new pajamas on. She's a big girl now, as I was reminded during dinner when I tried to feed her a bite.
Sunday, November 4, 2007
Happy Birthday to me, Lola
Lola has been so excited that it was going to be her birthday next. She turned 3 today. We had a big party yesterday and she was so anxious. She kept saying that we were going to sing, "'Happy Birthday' to me, Lola." When the time came, she had a very reasonable conversation with Andrew of why she didn't want to sing. She nestled up to Paige and we all sang. I think it is one of the biggest groups I have heard sing. It was a great party and Lola had a great time. We all did. Thanks to all of you that came to help us celebrate.
I am curious to see what 3 brings us. Lola is such a great girl. I never imagined that this is what she was going to turn out to be like. She is funny, beautiful, and so intelligent.
Happy Birthday, Lola. I love you!
I am curious to see what 3 brings us. Lola is such a great girl. I never imagined that this is what she was going to turn out to be like. She is funny, beautiful, and so intelligent.
Happy Birthday, Lola. I love you!
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Sunday, October 21, 2007
Bid is 15. Do I hear 20?
I am a huge fan of garage sales and thrift stores. Something that I picked up from my mom, although I acquire a lot less stuff. Anywho....I hit my first auction this weekend with Rayna and Kelly. Paddy, Marc's mom, came along too.
I browsed the preview online the day before. I eyed a few things and Marc was curious about a vintage pinball machine. He said it could be his birthday gift if it was the right price. I set myself a little budget and off I went.
We signed in and obtained our numbers. I was 386. The auction had already begun as we started to make our way around the warehouse. There was so much more there than was on the website and I was immediately overwhelmed. I spotted a small bathroom stand with a drawer and made my first mark on my list. Paddy and I wandered off to look at all the stuff. When I turned around, they were holding up this small bathroom stand. I threw my hand up in the air. Did I hear 10? Then he started saying 20. I think. I started shaking. I had been outbid but was too afraid to bid again since I was not sure how much we were exactly at. I kept my hand down and the stand sold for $7.50!?!?
I made my way back to my pack. I felt safer there and was sure that I could get the hang of it with Kelly and Rayna next to me. We made our way to our seats. The green velvet chaise lounger was coming up soon. I set a price in my head. The bidding started and my hand just went up. We started low at 10. It went up. With no hesitation, my hand flew up. After a few more flings of my hand, I now owned the chaise lounger for $30. Oh, success. It was an amazing feeling. I was so excited. I had just won my first bidding war. This rules. So much better than ebay with it's shipping charges and week long bidding.
Rayna and I checked out the jewelry and I found the ring that I had seen the day before. I liked it in person as much as I did online. It was to be mine. Oh, and I passed some cute star-shaped plates on the way back to our seats. I thought they would be perfect for Lola. I saw the pinball machine and found a beautiful retro art deco armoire right next to it. We went and sat back down and waited for these items to come up for bidding. Rayna won a necklace and earring set, a very intricate, beautiful beaded purse and a mink hat. My ring came up and after a little war, it was mine. By now I am hot. The star plates came up and since no one bid, they became mine with a wave of 386!
Before the pinball machine, I bid on a piece of art that I won. Then the armoire came up. The bidding started so low, I couldn't keep my hand down. This piece was meant to be mine. I won it at an amazing price of $45. It was commented by many as to how great of a deal that I got. I was almost too excited to bid on the pinball machine which was next. I did bid on it and warred with someone behind me. I went as high as $175. I knew it was worth much more after Marc had done some research, but at that price, I wasn't sure. He got a great deal at $200. I also picked up a mirror, a curio cabinet and a great 6 gallon crock and then had to pay and leave. It was too much fun and I was out of control. We even had great fun with the auctioneers.
Here are some pictures of my successful bidding:
Lola on the new chaise
My new piece of art - I really like it more now than I did then!
My new crock (Marc think I shouldn't even bother to post a picture, but you wanted to see it, huh?)
My new ring. Just needs to be resized.
Lola's new plates.
And the new armoire. It was VERY heavy. Marc was not very happy with all of my purchases. Even more so when he saw how heavy this was and that we had nowhere to put it....yet. I think more of my lack of control. I am not allowed to buy anything bigger than a microwave without discussing it.
Future auctions are not out of the picture. It will just have to be more controlled. As Rayna said, I have to be less of an enabler. I can't wait!!! Just writing this blog is making me excited. I wonder what my next bidding number will be?
I browsed the preview online the day before. I eyed a few things and Marc was curious about a vintage pinball machine. He said it could be his birthday gift if it was the right price. I set myself a little budget and off I went.
We signed in and obtained our numbers. I was 386. The auction had already begun as we started to make our way around the warehouse. There was so much more there than was on the website and I was immediately overwhelmed. I spotted a small bathroom stand with a drawer and made my first mark on my list. Paddy and I wandered off to look at all the stuff. When I turned around, they were holding up this small bathroom stand. I threw my hand up in the air. Did I hear 10? Then he started saying 20. I think. I started shaking. I had been outbid but was too afraid to bid again since I was not sure how much we were exactly at. I kept my hand down and the stand sold for $7.50!?!?
I made my way back to my pack. I felt safer there and was sure that I could get the hang of it with Kelly and Rayna next to me. We made our way to our seats. The green velvet chaise lounger was coming up soon. I set a price in my head. The bidding started and my hand just went up. We started low at 10. It went up. With no hesitation, my hand flew up. After a few more flings of my hand, I now owned the chaise lounger for $30. Oh, success. It was an amazing feeling. I was so excited. I had just won my first bidding war. This rules. So much better than ebay with it's shipping charges and week long bidding.
Rayna and I checked out the jewelry and I found the ring that I had seen the day before. I liked it in person as much as I did online. It was to be mine. Oh, and I passed some cute star-shaped plates on the way back to our seats. I thought they would be perfect for Lola. I saw the pinball machine and found a beautiful retro art deco armoire right next to it. We went and sat back down and waited for these items to come up for bidding. Rayna won a necklace and earring set, a very intricate, beautiful beaded purse and a mink hat. My ring came up and after a little war, it was mine. By now I am hot. The star plates came up and since no one bid, they became mine with a wave of 386!
Before the pinball machine, I bid on a piece of art that I won. Then the armoire came up. The bidding started so low, I couldn't keep my hand down. This piece was meant to be mine. I won it at an amazing price of $45. It was commented by many as to how great of a deal that I got. I was almost too excited to bid on the pinball machine which was next. I did bid on it and warred with someone behind me. I went as high as $175. I knew it was worth much more after Marc had done some research, but at that price, I wasn't sure. He got a great deal at $200. I also picked up a mirror, a curio cabinet and a great 6 gallon crock and then had to pay and leave. It was too much fun and I was out of control. We even had great fun with the auctioneers.
Here are some pictures of my successful bidding:
Lola on the new chaise
My new piece of art - I really like it more now than I did then!
My new crock (Marc think I shouldn't even bother to post a picture, but you wanted to see it, huh?)
My new ring. Just needs to be resized.
Lola's new plates.
And the new armoire. It was VERY heavy. Marc was not very happy with all of my purchases. Even more so when he saw how heavy this was and that we had nowhere to put it....yet. I think more of my lack of control. I am not allowed to buy anything bigger than a microwave without discussing it.
Future auctions are not out of the picture. It will just have to be more controlled. As Rayna said, I have to be less of an enabler. I can't wait!!! Just writing this blog is making me excited. I wonder what my next bidding number will be?
These are a few of my favorite things....
I took Marc out to sushi for his birthday on Friday. We had not been happy with our latest choices. Sushi Pier 2 where the service was beyond horrible and when brought to their attention, it only got worse with attitude. Sushi 7 has a fantastically designed restaurant with poor service, but at least they knew without it having to be brought to their attention. Anyway, after reading a review in the RGJ, we decided to head to Rickshaw Sushi (try saying it three times fast). It was formerly Rickshaw Paddy which I had only been to once many years ago. We were immediately greeted the moment we walked in. You can do all-you-can-eat from a table or the bar. We sat sat at the bar. Everything happened so quickly from there. Our drinks were ordered and brought right away and the sushi chef asked if we like cream cheese and ordered us an appetizer (these are included in the all-you-can-eat menu.) It was a deep fried egg roll with cream cheese and seafood. He cut it and drizzled it with a sweet sauce. It was a very elegant looking egg roll and so yummy. The sushi menu was filled with rolls that had ingredients I didn't know you could put into sushi. The Tundra Roll had mango, macadamia and balsamic in it. (I meant to take a to-go menu to really know what was involved, but totally spaced it as we left.) It had salmon on top which he charred with a hand held torch. The Kwon had charred cheese on it topped with a wasabi tobiko. These were so beautiful and delicate - not to be dipped in soy sauce. These are not rolls that belonged in an all-you-can-eat sushi restaurant. We ordered mussels. These were huge and not shriveled up and too chewy which you find in other restaurants. YUMMY! Another thing that caught my eye was the tempura banana with ice cream for dessert. Since I have given up dairy temporarily, it will have to wait until next time. Marc and I were thrilled from the moment we entered. The all-you-can-eat dinner is $20.95. You can get cheaper in town but surely not better!
Here is a picture of the Kwon roll with Kwon. He's worked in many sushi restaurants in Reno and made the menu for Rickshaw Sushi.
I have more to blog on but am running out of time. Stay tuned for my first auction experience. It was CRAZY!
Here is a picture of the Kwon roll with Kwon. He's worked in many sushi restaurants in Reno and made the menu for Rickshaw Sushi.
I have more to blog on but am running out of time. Stay tuned for my first auction experience. It was CRAZY!
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
New! New! New!
So, I finally got around to loading some new photos to the Lola and Sidney albums around here. While I was at it, decided I should upgrade Wordpress too. Did that, and that led to upgrading a couple of the plugins for it, which led to upgrading Gallery because the new plugin needed a new version of Gallery to work, so now I'm uploading 24MB of Gallery software while I write this. Computers. Can't live with 'em, can't toss 'em in a landfill or the heavy metals will pollute the groundwater.
Did find something fun to consume all that spare time I'm always complaining about having - Google Image Labeler. Exactly like the ESP game that's been around for quite some time. I actually read an interesting article about the guy who invented that; really interesting idea, getting "the masses" to perform menial tasks by making it fun. Go forth, have fun, and make Google Images more useful.
Did find something fun to consume all that spare time I'm always complaining about having - Google Image Labeler. Exactly like the ESP game that's been around for quite some time. I actually read an interesting article about the guy who invented that; really interesting idea, getting "the masses" to perform menial tasks by making it fun. Go forth, have fun, and make Google Images more useful.
Thursday, October 11, 2007
Still here
Man! Two kids will keep you really busy! We are all still here! We are all still in one piece. Here are some photos to prove it:
We have a two year old that uses the potty!! Yippee!! Less diapers. Sid is starting to smile a lot and coo. He loves Lola. We have sold the Vue and are enjoying the Eurovan! Paige had a birthday. Nana comes next week. Marc and Lola both have birthdays coming up. Halloween costumes are ready to be worn. Wait until you see!
We have a two year old that uses the potty!! Yippee!! Less diapers. Sid is starting to smile a lot and coo. He loves Lola. We have sold the Vue and are enjoying the Eurovan! Paige had a birthday. Nana comes next week. Marc and Lola both have birthdays coming up. Halloween costumes are ready to be worn. Wait until you see!
Links
Embarrassed by how long it's been since my last post (over 2 weeks!) and knowing that I absolutely MUST add some new photos, as well as update Wordpress, I humbly offer a couple of worthy links for your consumption:
Another "presidential candidate match" thing and, a kind of funny, kind of useless, translation thingamajig.
Photos and upgrade to come soon, really!
Another "presidential candidate match" thing and, a kind of funny, kind of useless, translation thingamajig.
Photos and upgrade to come soon, really!
Friday, September 28, 2007
Just another date night
Marc and I talked about having a date night tonight. Instead, the kids and Marc have colds, we went to look for a bed, went to Costco, and Sid threw up on me. Probably one of the most interesting dates I've had in a long time!!
Has anybody else ever noticed that it mostly rains during the night? I LOVE the rain, but it always happens while I am sleeping. A good storm seems to be brewing out there. Marc said the dark clouds approaching from the west made him a little scared.
Loved The Office premiere last night and was so caught up I missed the Grey's Anatomy premiere. I was pretty sad when I realized this information. Guess I'll have to watch it online and watch the commercials. Ah, the joys of DVR and whatever else is on the magical little box from Charter. And the premium channels!! We ordered Showtime just in time to start watching the new season of Weeds. Wonder if we will have to get rid of it when the season is over? In other TV news, I have been turned onto Six Feet Under (thanks, Rayna!) I LOVE it!! How did five season (or more?) go by and I never knew? To you Buffy fans, I still can't get into it!
That's it. Sid's Halloween costume arrived today. I can't spill the beans, but will post pictures in October. But it is good!
Has anybody else ever noticed that it mostly rains during the night? I LOVE the rain, but it always happens while I am sleeping. A good storm seems to be brewing out there. Marc said the dark clouds approaching from the west made him a little scared.
Loved The Office premiere last night and was so caught up I missed the Grey's Anatomy premiere. I was pretty sad when I realized this information. Guess I'll have to watch it online and watch the commercials. Ah, the joys of DVR and whatever else is on the magical little box from Charter. And the premium channels!! We ordered Showtime just in time to start watching the new season of Weeds. Wonder if we will have to get rid of it when the season is over? In other TV news, I have been turned onto Six Feet Under (thanks, Rayna!) I LOVE it!! How did five season (or more?) go by and I never knew? To you Buffy fans, I still can't get into it!
That's it. Sid's Halloween costume arrived today. I can't spill the beans, but will post pictures in October. But it is good!
Monday, September 24, 2007
Priceless
I was just going to dump two sweet links on you, scans from a 1975 JCPenney catalog someone was kind enough to post. Here and here. That was a few years before my mom started working for JCP, but having grown up in a JCPenney household, I fondly remember poring over Christmas catalogs throughout my childhood. I don't remember seeing anything as fabulous as these, but I guess it's the historical perspective as an adult rather than childhood fondness for toys that makes them so great now.
Morgan mentioned our visit to SF. In a nutshell, we (us four plus Paige and Maggie) had a great trip over, overnight at friends (who weren't there but let us stay at their house) in Oakland, then a truly wonderful visit with friends visiting from France. Great time was had by all, Lola included, who had some really good fun playing with little Zoe. We forgot our camera, but fortunately they didn't. I should have photos to post someday soon. Stay tuned.
Morgan mentioned our visit to SF. In a nutshell, we (us four plus Paige and Maggie) had a great trip over, overnight at friends (who weren't there but let us stay at their house) in Oakland, then a truly wonderful visit with friends visiting from France. Great time was had by all, Lola included, who had some really good fun playing with little Zoe. We forgot our camera, but fortunately they didn't. I should have photos to post someday soon. Stay tuned.
Case of the Mondays
I am very lucky to have family around to watch the kids while I work. Mondays is their day with Digi.
Here is another funny picture. Marc stayed home with the kids on Friday when I went out to dinner with friends. He finally did call about 2 hours later to see how much longer I would be. Sid can be funny about things. When he is cranky it can be as simple as being too hot, too tired or very hungry. I think this pic shoe how hard both Marc and Sid worked. Sid is socked out and naked.
And another,
Okay, one more.
Other news. Lola is potty trained. She took the leap and seems to really like it. We have the very occasional accident. I think the most joy she has found in her new adventure was the child size toilet and sink at the mall in SF. She was so excited. The automatic flush sill seems to be a little scary. Just have your arms ready for when she jumps off!!
Here is a picture of our BIG GIRL!!!
Here is another funny picture. Marc stayed home with the kids on Friday when I went out to dinner with friends. He finally did call about 2 hours later to see how much longer I would be. Sid can be funny about things. When he is cranky it can be as simple as being too hot, too tired or very hungry. I think this pic shoe how hard both Marc and Sid worked. Sid is socked out and naked.
And another,
Okay, one more.
Other news. Lola is potty trained. She took the leap and seems to really like it. We have the very occasional accident. I think the most joy she has found in her new adventure was the child size toilet and sink at the mall in SF. She was so excited. The automatic flush sill seems to be a little scary. Just have your arms ready for when she jumps off!!
Here is a picture of our BIG GIRL!!!
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
Cool stuff
Just a couple good things I found online this week, both from BoingBoing...
Crazy video, an excellent example of two very dissimilar pieces of media together raising the art of the mashup higher. This video is Burning Man caliber insane. If you're impatient, ffwd to the 1 minute 10 second point.
Amazing photos of ceramics the instant they shatter.
Crazy video, an excellent example of two very dissimilar pieces of media together raising the art of the mashup higher. This video is Burning Man caliber insane. If you're impatient, ffwd to the 1 minute 10 second point.
Amazing photos of ceramics the instant they shatter.
Monday, September 17, 2007
He likes us.
Despite many attempts to make him smile, Sid has been very stoic in these first weeks. I knew he was capable, as he grins right before slipping into milk comas. He has given expressions that might be the start of a smile, but last night we finally saw the real thing.
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
Ah, nutz!
Having a two year old is stimulating, always interesting, and sometimes heart-stopping.
I am a huge trail mix fan. I like the kind with the M&Ms, nuts and raisins. Lola has become a huge fan as well. Yesterday, Lola and I were hanging out in the office (what we call the extra bedroom) when she calmly told me she had a peanut in her nose. I jumped out of the chair and rushed over. She was as calm as can be, continuing to eat her trail mix. I could see it. It was right there in sight. So I propped her up on the toilet (the bathroom has better light) and went after it with tweezers. She kept moving before I could even get the tweezers near her nose. I had her blow her nose. "Pretend there is a kleenex here," I said. Nothing.
At this point I am wondering if someone will be be able to get this out or if it will have to be surgically removed. With mom and Paige, both Lola and I have been told of stories of children with watch or hearing aid type batteries, nuts, jewelry, coins, etc being stuck in orifices or swallowed Here I am, a parent to one of these children.
I called Paige and calmly told her that she needed to come over because Lola had a peanut stuck up her nose. She hung up without asking any questions and rushed right over. Upon her arrival, she informed me that she would not attempt to extract it because she did not want to be responsible.
She distracted Lola while I attempted once again to remove the peanut. It moved even further up. This frightened me even more. Asking her to blow her nose again, while plugging the other side, it came down again ever so slightly. Again, I stuck the tweezers in her nostril and tried to remove the nut. Nope. It moved up again. UGH!!!! At this point I dropped the tweezers and exclaimed that we would have to go to the hospital or call her doctor. "Okay Lola," I said, "try and blow it out." After three hard breaths, the peanut shot out of her nose.
I cannot explain my relief. I understand that this will happen. She will attempt things, she will get hurt sometimes, and now I know she will make my heart stop.
I am a huge trail mix fan. I like the kind with the M&Ms, nuts and raisins. Lola has become a huge fan as well. Yesterday, Lola and I were hanging out in the office (what we call the extra bedroom) when she calmly told me she had a peanut in her nose. I jumped out of the chair and rushed over. She was as calm as can be, continuing to eat her trail mix. I could see it. It was right there in sight. So I propped her up on the toilet (the bathroom has better light) and went after it with tweezers. She kept moving before I could even get the tweezers near her nose. I had her blow her nose. "Pretend there is a kleenex here," I said. Nothing.
At this point I am wondering if someone will be be able to get this out or if it will have to be surgically removed. With mom and Paige, both Lola and I have been told of stories of children with watch or hearing aid type batteries, nuts, jewelry, coins, etc being stuck in orifices or swallowed Here I am, a parent to one of these children.
I called Paige and calmly told her that she needed to come over because Lola had a peanut stuck up her nose. She hung up without asking any questions and rushed right over. Upon her arrival, she informed me that she would not attempt to extract it because she did not want to be responsible.
She distracted Lola while I attempted once again to remove the peanut. It moved even further up. This frightened me even more. Asking her to blow her nose again, while plugging the other side, it came down again ever so slightly. Again, I stuck the tweezers in her nostril and tried to remove the nut. Nope. It moved up again. UGH!!!! At this point I dropped the tweezers and exclaimed that we would have to go to the hospital or call her doctor. "Okay Lola," I said, "try and blow it out." After three hard breaths, the peanut shot out of her nose.
I cannot explain my relief. I understand that this will happen. She will attempt things, she will get hurt sometimes, and now I know she will make my heart stop.
Friday, September 7, 2007
One more thing...
Along the same lines as the trivia/IQ tests linked below, may I present:
71%
71%
FilmCritic.com - Movie Reviews
Link dump time
I was going to wax poetic about how it's starting to feel like fall has its foot in the door, brisk tingly mornings as I ride my scooter through the streets to work each morning, fewer dust-covered Burning Man cars passing through, and balloons in the skies. But Morgan beat me to the punch, so there you go. Other tidbits, we're FINALLY taking possession of the Eurovan tonight, and Lola's started pooping on the potty! Good times all around
In addition to the general updates above, I found a handful of cool things to share with you loyal readers, fun/neat/cool sites on this here world wide web. Most came from an article in PC Magazine of 100 best undiscovered websites. These are the ones I thought most share-worthy:
Top Secret Recipes - for recreating the yummy things you get when you eat out.
LumosIQ test - totally fun mind games (just 3 of 'em) that give you a score of how smart you are. I got 140. Report back in the comments.
Another test - This one sent by Gigi, you have to think fast (8 seconds to pick an answer), it's more a trivia test than IQ. Still fun. Can't remember what I scored, 25 or something?
LikeBetter - Pick the picture you like better. Pick enough of them and the brain tries to tell you something about yourself.
DaFont - Mostly included here for me to refer back to another time, tons of free fonts for your computer. Good for posters, flyers, tattoos, etc.
Boomshine - Totally addictive, fun, simple, and relaxing game.
OK, that's all I've got. Must....play...more....boomshine....
In addition to the general updates above, I found a handful of cool things to share with you loyal readers, fun/neat/cool sites on this here world wide web. Most came from an article in PC Magazine of 100 best undiscovered websites. These are the ones I thought most share-worthy:
Top Secret Recipes - for recreating the yummy things you get when you eat out.
LumosIQ test - totally fun mind games (just 3 of 'em) that give you a score of how smart you are. I got 140. Report back in the comments.
Another test - This one sent by Gigi, you have to think fast (8 seconds to pick an answer), it's more a trivia test than IQ. Still fun. Can't remember what I scored, 25 or something?
LikeBetter - Pick the picture you like better. Pick enough of them and the brain tries to tell you something about yourself.
DaFont - Mostly included here for me to refer back to another time, tons of free fonts for your computer. Good for posters, flyers, tattoos, etc.
Boomshine - Totally addictive, fun, simple, and relaxing game.
OK, that's all I've got. Must....play...more....boomshine....
Reasons to love Reno
Lola and I peaked out our front window this morning to discover that we can see the balloons from this house as we could from our last. It is not the same view, but really impressive from our driveway. I have only done Dawn Patrol once. my mom dragged us out so early, I don't think I had hit REM. It was nice though. She made breakfast and there was champagne (I was too young to care). It was fun. I remember being impressed even as a snotty teenager. Now, I wouldn't want to fight the crowds. Maybe next year for Dawn Patrol. I think we will walk tomorrow morning to get a closer look. Lola was impressed with just what she saw this morning, I bet she will love it.
I am back to work this week. I have to say what a warm welcome they had - there were tons of books to be put away. Nothing makes the day go faster than a lot of work. I truly missed it - actually my coworkers more than the work! Ane with only 15 hrs, it is easier to be away from the kids.
Parkerbailey (the '85 VW) was sold to a nice kid this week. I guess he was older than a kid. Sad to see it go, but the Eurovan will help ease the pain. We have the Saturn for sale if you know anyone interested. A good car and I liked it. But we can't keep them all! I already feel a little overwhlemed with the neighbors cars - but he has ten kids!
I am enjoying the cooling weather and am looking forward to the encroaching fall weather. Changing colors, cooler weather, Marc, Paige, Lola and Gigi's birthdays, Halloween, and a visit from Nana.
I am back to work this week. I have to say what a warm welcome they had - there were tons of books to be put away. Nothing makes the day go faster than a lot of work. I truly missed it - actually my coworkers more than the work! Ane with only 15 hrs, it is easier to be away from the kids.
Parkerbailey (the '85 VW) was sold to a nice kid this week. I guess he was older than a kid. Sad to see it go, but the Eurovan will help ease the pain. We have the Saturn for sale if you know anyone interested. A good car and I liked it. But we can't keep them all! I already feel a little overwhlemed with the neighbors cars - but he has ten kids!
I am enjoying the cooling weather and am looking forward to the encroaching fall weather. Changing colors, cooler weather, Marc, Paige, Lola and Gigi's birthdays, Halloween, and a visit from Nana.
Sunday, September 2, 2007
Photos
OK, as promised, additional photos...click on them for larger versions.
Birds at our birdfeeder
And a few from our afternoon BBQ at Ian and Sharon's house, featuring dear Lola of course...
Birds at our birdfeeder
And a few from our afternoon BBQ at Ian and Sharon's house, featuring dear Lola of course...
A few new pics
Well, I was going to just post a quick blurb that I put up a few new Sidney pics in his album and Lola pics in hers. Then I was going to wait until later today to include a few pictures of birds at our birdfeeder and one of our new house in the margin. Then Morgan convinced me to go ahead and toss something out right now...we leave for brunch in 45 minutes.
Around the house this weekend: Living room painted fabulously by Morgan in a nice shade of blue and one wall in chocolate brown (or mahogany as Home Depot calls it) , more painting to come tomorrow we hope; went to dinner at sister Sarah's house in Truckee last night, BBQ at the Campbells' house today; need to fill up the birdfeeder; selling some stuff on ebay; miscellaneous errands and such. Nice to have three whole days.
So that's it for this quick post, hopefully I'll get back on with some other photos later today.
Around the house this weekend: Living room painted fabulously by Morgan in a nice shade of blue and one wall in chocolate brown (or mahogany as Home Depot calls it) , more painting to come tomorrow we hope; went to dinner at sister Sarah's house in Truckee last night, BBQ at the Campbells' house today; need to fill up the birdfeeder; selling some stuff on ebay; miscellaneous errands and such. Nice to have three whole days.
So that's it for this quick post, hopefully I'll get back on with some other photos later today.
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
Fireworks in the bedroom
I just read a headline as I was signing on to blog:
Chewed up Vick cards sell for $7,400
Wow! Go dogs, I say. What kind of person could treat any living thing that way? Plus, having to give back all his NFL earnings? I say, "hell, yes!" Ah, 34 mill would be a nice big contribution to the SPCA or any other animal charity - this is, if they need suggestions of what to do with the money.
In other news, as Marc has already spilled, we bought a new car. I cannot tell you how excited I am about it. With the new 2002 Eurovan, I will be part of the VW family again. I had a new VW Beetle when I got pregnant with Lola. I loved it, but could not figure out how I was going to put a car seat in the back and the trunk had little room for a stroller plus anything else. This monster will be able to seat seven and sleep 4. I am stoked!!
What I really wanted to write about was the funny parenting story from 6am this morning. Those with queasy stomachs or no tolerance for poop, I suggest you stop reading, leave me a comment, and log in for the next blog. Anyway, Sid was having his super early morning breakfast when he pooped. Now, Sid is for sure a male. His bowels could set off a car alarm if he was close enough. So, Marc, who was awoken by the by the explosion, offered to change his diaper. I told him to let him eat for a few more minutes and then he could. I am half asleep during all of this and was startled awake by Marc's surprising yelp. I caught the end of it, but apparently, Sid has to pee, Marc quickly covered him with a wipe and then Sid decided to empty his bowels again. So, this explosive, surging pooh shot all over the bed...that's right, diaper number two was not under his bum. Did I mention that it is still a little after 6am? Ugh! So, we got Sid cleaned up, dirty diapers thrown away, hands washed and sheets changed. I guess the positive is that I now have clean sheets, I changed one less dirty diaper, and Marc even started a load of laundry. Ah, what a way to start the day.
With that all said (I love to share), I think I might go take a nap. Both kids are asleep - Hooray!
Chewed up Vick cards sell for $7,400
Wow! Go dogs, I say. What kind of person could treat any living thing that way? Plus, having to give back all his NFL earnings? I say, "hell, yes!" Ah, 34 mill would be a nice big contribution to the SPCA or any other animal charity - this is, if they need suggestions of what to do with the money.
In other news, as Marc has already spilled, we bought a new car. I cannot tell you how excited I am about it. With the new 2002 Eurovan, I will be part of the VW family again. I had a new VW Beetle when I got pregnant with Lola. I loved it, but could not figure out how I was going to put a car seat in the back and the trunk had little room for a stroller plus anything else. This monster will be able to seat seven and sleep 4. I am stoked!!
What I really wanted to write about was the funny parenting story from 6am this morning. Those with queasy stomachs or no tolerance for poop, I suggest you stop reading, leave me a comment, and log in for the next blog. Anyway, Sid was having his super early morning breakfast when he pooped. Now, Sid is for sure a male. His bowels could set off a car alarm if he was close enough. So, Marc, who was awoken by the by the explosion, offered to change his diaper. I told him to let him eat for a few more minutes and then he could. I am half asleep during all of this and was startled awake by Marc's surprising yelp. I caught the end of it, but apparently, Sid has to pee, Marc quickly covered him with a wipe and then Sid decided to empty his bowels again. So, this explosive, surging pooh shot all over the bed...that's right, diaper number two was not under his bum. Did I mention that it is still a little after 6am? Ugh! So, we got Sid cleaned up, dirty diapers thrown away, hands washed and sheets changed. I guess the positive is that I now have clean sheets, I changed one less dirty diaper, and Marc even started a load of laundry. Ah, what a way to start the day.
With that all said (I love to share), I think I might go take a nap. Both kids are asleep - Hooray!
Monday, August 27, 2007
Recent happenings
So, changes and goings on among us in recent days...we had a successful garage sale on Saturday, getting rid of a bunch of stuff and making about $130 bucks in the process. Which paid for most of our new pots and pans...fortunately Morgan picked up a great complete set of dishes for 8 at the thrift store!
In vehicular news, our growing family got us thinking we needed a bigger vehicle, so we're almost the proud owners of a 2002 Eurovan. (Almost because we don't actually have it yet, but it's as good as ours.) No, we're not going to have FOUR cars, we're going to sell the Saturn and the existing VW van. So if you know anyone needing a vehicle...
I know I've been bad about posting pictures lately...it's so hard to find time! We hung a birdfeeder that the birds have been crazy about, so I need pictures of that, the new house, oh yeah, and our kids. Hopefully this weekend.
Sidney's doing well, being generally baby-like all the time. Not a lot to report, really - he eats a bunch, has gas, cries, sleeps, and needs his diaper changed. Lola is generally good, being a big sister, having her little moods from time to time, and still being her beautiful, engaging, captivating self most of the time.
That's about all for now I suppose. I'll at least throw a tasty link your way for your viewing pleasure. Here ya go. Pass that around the internet a bit.
In vehicular news, our growing family got us thinking we needed a bigger vehicle, so we're almost the proud owners of a 2002 Eurovan. (Almost because we don't actually have it yet, but it's as good as ours.) No, we're not going to have FOUR cars, we're going to sell the Saturn and the existing VW van. So if you know anyone needing a vehicle...
I know I've been bad about posting pictures lately...it's so hard to find time! We hung a birdfeeder that the birds have been crazy about, so I need pictures of that, the new house, oh yeah, and our kids. Hopefully this weekend.
Sidney's doing well, being generally baby-like all the time. Not a lot to report, really - he eats a bunch, has gas, cries, sleeps, and needs his diaper changed. Lola is generally good, being a big sister, having her little moods from time to time, and still being her beautiful, engaging, captivating self most of the time.
That's about all for now I suppose. I'll at least throw a tasty link your way for your viewing pleasure. Here ya go. Pass that around the internet a bit.
Saturday, August 25, 2007
getting rid of the 'stuff'
I am sitting in our driveway right now, while we are holding a garage sale. Here are the things that have ran through my mind this morning (and the last few minutes):
I think I better go....my body is telling me that Sidney will want to eat soon. If you are reading this on Sat morning, get your arse over here and buy some of our stuff!
- Novelly house was much more convenient to have a sale. The driveway and yard held a lot more stuff and did not have a slant to deal with. Location there was much better than here. We are off the radar a bit. But we have a nice shady area to sit right inside the garage!
- With a newborn, you will need the extra help. I can't put out much stuff while trying to feed a baby.
- It is hard to sell toys of the child who keeps running around taking them back into the house.
- Nobody should EVER give us pennies when buying something. Okay, maybe if you are five - but not a fifty cent item from an adult woman. They went right into Lola's piggy bank.
- NO!!! The baby is not for sale - quit asking!
- I still think my stuff worth a bit more than Marc will let me mark it. This is an awful thing - I am the worst at bitching about people who mark their stuff too high.
- Get out of your car. It is a short walk to the driveway. Can you really see everything anyway? (I am guilty of this maneuver.)
- Nothing in the garage is for sale. After you ask, you can quit checking out stuff out. Makes me nervous.
- Lola is a great help in selling. I think people are just taken with her, "Good Morning!"
- I have had way too much coffee this morning.
- I should have countered $7 on the baker's rack that I just sold.
- I was hoping that our neighbors would come out and meet us. This was part of my intention in having a garage sale after we moved.
I think I better go....my body is telling me that Sidney will want to eat soon. If you are reading this on Sat morning, get your arse over here and buy some of our stuff!
Friday, August 17, 2007
Wanderlust
Inspired, I think, by Turi's recent synopsis of their Oregon trip, and by the presentation I just saw on the Tahoe Rim Trail, my mind wandered into creating a list of places I want to visit someday. Some of these may be pie-in-the-sky, but I think most are achievable. I post it here for future reference and just for fun.
Oddly, that's about all I can come up with for now. Sure, I'd see more Europe, lots more of the US, Brazil, etc., but the ones above are what I really want to see someday.
- Tahoe Rim Trail - All165 miles around the Jewel in the Sky. Maybe two one-week camps, maybe every weekend for a month, something, someday. It would be a shame to miss this opportunity so close to home.
- Canada - I want to visit more than BC, see the prairies my grandparents lived on, the vast Great White North parts, even the cosmopolitan Toronto and Montreal.
- Australia - Maybe a bit of city, but mostly outback. I want to see Ayers Rock, listen to aborigines play the didge, and mingle with roos and koalas.
- Asia - Japan was one major destination on my life's must-visit list. Having done that, I'd love to see Thailand, maybe some China, some Vietnam, Tibet. I guess Siberia and Lake Baikal are Asia too, but I was going to list them separately. (These fall into the "probably only if I hit the lottery" category.)
- Grand Canyon
- New York City
- More of Alaska - Loved the beauty and charm of the smidgen of Alaska I visited, would love to see more.
- I want to tour Nevada, visit small towns on long desolate roads, sneak a peek at Area 51 and see Michael Heizer's City someday.
- Antarctica - The extreme continent.
Oddly, that's about all I can come up with for now. Sure, I'd see more Europe, lots more of the US, Brazil, etc., but the ones above are what I really want to see someday.
Friday, August 10, 2007
Too much stuff
Ugh. We have too much stuff. Unpacking has been an opportunity to make huge garage sale piles. Now why wouldn't I do this while I packed? Well, I didn't get to do much of the packing (thank you to those that did). Unpacking and trying to put things away just makes you realize that there are things that you just don't need. When am I going to need eight tea cups and saucers? Heck, if I even served tea, it would be in our plain old mismatched coffee cups. And I have decided that this is fine. Plus, Marc and I are clothes whores. New huge closets are full, two dressers are full, and the shelf in the closet is piled high with clothes. Maybe better organization will make it seem like less. I did get rid of a bunch of stuff by weeding out all maternity clothes. Won't need them anymore.
Also, we have had to buy more stuff. Why you ask? Well, shelves to put our 'stuff' on and storage to put our crap in. Then there were the necessities: new sectional ( I am not a big fan of sectionals), a flat screen TV, new kitchen table and chairs (the retro would not have 'fit' with the beautiful granite counter top in the kitchen), curtains, rods, new lights for the patio, etc. It has been a lot of fun. :)
Marc went back to work. I love him, but it was stressing me out a bit with him around. I too want everything put away, but the pressure was killing me. It seems that I am a bit more productive since he's been gone. Plus, I love how excited he is when he gets home and realizes that there is less to be done.
Lola, again, looks so much older and more mature to me. Maybe it is just having Sidney to compare her to. She loves her new room and has found new stuff she forgot she had - as we all have. She now has a CD player in her room as well and has been going to bed so much easier. She practically kicks us out after stories, just so we can turn it on for her. I blasted some funny kids songs for her today and we danced around her room. VERY FUN!
Sidney is good. He gained almost a pound in ten days. On one hand, I am like, "Wow." On the other, I am not surprised as much as he eats. A lot, and I have been pooped on twice in two days. I really thought I knew how to change a diaper. He is a joy. We are all proud of our new addition.
And me....well, good. Elastic waisted pants/shorts, long tops, and lots of hair ties. I can't kiss my kids enough and and so proud of my husband and I for the fabulous family that we have created and the overstuffed home we have made.
Also, we have had to buy more stuff. Why you ask? Well, shelves to put our 'stuff' on and storage to put our crap in. Then there were the necessities: new sectional ( I am not a big fan of sectionals), a flat screen TV, new kitchen table and chairs (the retro would not have 'fit' with the beautiful granite counter top in the kitchen), curtains, rods, new lights for the patio, etc. It has been a lot of fun. :)
Marc went back to work. I love him, but it was stressing me out a bit with him around. I too want everything put away, but the pressure was killing me. It seems that I am a bit more productive since he's been gone. Plus, I love how excited he is when he gets home and realizes that there is less to be done.
Lola, again, looks so much older and more mature to me. Maybe it is just having Sidney to compare her to. She loves her new room and has found new stuff she forgot she had - as we all have. She now has a CD player in her room as well and has been going to bed so much easier. She practically kicks us out after stories, just so we can turn it on for her. I blasted some funny kids songs for her today and we danced around her room. VERY FUN!
Sidney is good. He gained almost a pound in ten days. On one hand, I am like, "Wow." On the other, I am not surprised as much as he eats. A lot, and I have been pooped on twice in two days. I really thought I knew how to change a diaper. He is a joy. We are all proud of our new addition.
And me....well, good. Elastic waisted pants/shorts, long tops, and lots of hair ties. I can't kiss my kids enough and and so proud of my husband and I for the fabulous family that we have created and the overstuffed home we have made.
Monday, August 6, 2007
Photo update
Busy around here, blogging is low priority, "free" time scarce. Finally getting settled in a bit, with a new toolshed out back, lots of boxes being emptied (don't get me wrong, still plenty to open), and miscellany being bought, built, and used. Not back at work yet, thankfully. We do have some fun too, like a kite-flying visit to the park yesterday, and little bike rides for Lola in the street. Major hearty congratulations to our dear friend and realtor Jack and his wife Melody, welcoming their son Nicholas into the world a few days ago. He's a darn cute boy.
Some new Lola pictures in her album, and some new Sid pictures in his album.
And yes, I do need to change the house picture in the margin to the right, I just haven't got a good picture of our new house yet.
Some new Lola pictures in her album, and some new Sid pictures in his album.
And yes, I do need to change the house picture in the margin to the right, I just haven't got a good picture of our new house yet.
Wednesday, August 1, 2007
Quiet, please.
Actually, there really has been no need to ask. Sidney sleeps, eats, eats some more, poops, and then sleeps again. Some of these actions happen simultaneously. Lola has perfected the art of whining. Overall, she has adapted to many new changes without much disapproval. I think she has only asked once that Sidney go back to where he came from. I think the role of 'big sister' suits her well and that she seems to have blossomed overnight. She seems so....mature? Really. Right after Sid was born, I noticed such a change in her - I guess because she wasn't the baby anymore.
My last attempt to blog was going to be while waiting for my contractions to get closer. I returned one email to Maggie, thought I'd let Marc sleep as much as I could since Sid's arrival was a certainty at that point, and then sat down to blog live while in labor. Nope. No such luck. Contractions came on fast and by the time that Gigi has arrived at 3am, I was in the driveway, pacing, sure that this poor kid was about to fall out. Four hours after our arrival to the hospital, Sidney made his grand entrance in full screaming mode. I must say it was a lot easier the second time. We had great care and Lola learned a lot that morning. She was not present at the actual birth, but was exposed enough to tell you exactly where babies come from. I guess her 'door' theory went out the window that morning.
We got home just in time to turn around and move into our new house. New house I recommend, kids are great - but doing all of it within days, I do not recommend so much. We had so much help - from movers, packers, to babysitters. Marc and I were overwhelmed at the generosity put forth by everyone. I hate moving and I can imagine that moving someone else's shit is much worse. I felt even worse being totally incompetent to do anything of use. We are still living out of some boxes.....I can find clean underwear for everyone, we all have clean sheets and other necessities. I guess we can survive this way for a while. Needless to say, a lot of my maternity time will be spent feeding Sid, negotiating with Lola, and in between, trying to put our house together.
It has been great to have Marc around for the past week. I think the addition of baby is pretty easy - but getting all the little things done on Novelly and here - I could not have handled that on my own. Mom and Paige have been great. They put one of our new bookshelves together and it only took them about 4 hours. I haven't seen much of them since:)
That's about all.......thanks to everyone for all the warm wishes, help, and love.
I was going to post a couple new pics...I will when Marc gets home. I always forget how to do it.
My last attempt to blog was going to be while waiting for my contractions to get closer. I returned one email to Maggie, thought I'd let Marc sleep as much as I could since Sid's arrival was a certainty at that point, and then sat down to blog live while in labor. Nope. No such luck. Contractions came on fast and by the time that Gigi has arrived at 3am, I was in the driveway, pacing, sure that this poor kid was about to fall out. Four hours after our arrival to the hospital, Sidney made his grand entrance in full screaming mode. I must say it was a lot easier the second time. We had great care and Lola learned a lot that morning. She was not present at the actual birth, but was exposed enough to tell you exactly where babies come from. I guess her 'door' theory went out the window that morning.
We got home just in time to turn around and move into our new house. New house I recommend, kids are great - but doing all of it within days, I do not recommend so much. We had so much help - from movers, packers, to babysitters. Marc and I were overwhelmed at the generosity put forth by everyone. I hate moving and I can imagine that moving someone else's shit is much worse. I felt even worse being totally incompetent to do anything of use. We are still living out of some boxes.....I can find clean underwear for everyone, we all have clean sheets and other necessities. I guess we can survive this way for a while. Needless to say, a lot of my maternity time will be spent feeding Sid, negotiating with Lola, and in between, trying to put our house together.
It has been great to have Marc around for the past week. I think the addition of baby is pretty easy - but getting all the little things done on Novelly and here - I could not have handled that on my own. Mom and Paige have been great. They put one of our new bookshelves together and it only took them about 4 hours. I haven't seen much of them since:)
That's about all.......thanks to everyone for all the warm wishes, help, and love.
I was going to post a couple new pics...I will when Marc gets home. I always forget how to do it.
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
Live from Renown
Finally found the free wifi around here...
Well, here we are, a family of four! For those who didn't get the memo, Morgan brought forth into the world our bouncing baby boy, Sidney Elliott Tiar, at 7:30am, 7/24/07. He weighed in at 7lbs, 8oz, and measured 19 inches even. After a scheduled 10pm visit last night, they sent us home after doing nothing, then at 3am, I was awoken by a woman in labor. She actually wanted to blog the early stages of labor here, but it came on too strong, too fast. The contractions were merciless and it was just like in the movies, grabbing the bag, scuttling out to the car (after Gigi came to stay with Lola and the dogs), and racing through the dark to the hospital. Dramatic, eh? After a quick checkin, some more painful contractions, epidural, and a few good pushes, out he came. Today has been in and out of the hospital, lots of phone calls, well wishes, and trying to shake off the exhaustion and get our heads back on straight, all while trying to gently introduce Lola to the world of big sisterhood. It's been a long day for us all. With that, may I present to you, our first photos of our son Sidney.
Oh yeah, and we got keys to the new house yesterday. Now we've just got to move...
Well, here we are, a family of four! For those who didn't get the memo, Morgan brought forth into the world our bouncing baby boy, Sidney Elliott Tiar, at 7:30am, 7/24/07. He weighed in at 7lbs, 8oz, and measured 19 inches even. After a scheduled 10pm visit last night, they sent us home after doing nothing, then at 3am, I was awoken by a woman in labor. She actually wanted to blog the early stages of labor here, but it came on too strong, too fast. The contractions were merciless and it was just like in the movies, grabbing the bag, scuttling out to the car (after Gigi came to stay with Lola and the dogs), and racing through the dark to the hospital. Dramatic, eh? After a quick checkin, some more painful contractions, epidural, and a few good pushes, out he came. Today has been in and out of the hospital, lots of phone calls, well wishes, and trying to shake off the exhaustion and get our heads back on straight, all while trying to gently introduce Lola to the world of big sisterhood. It's been a long day for us all. With that, may I present to you, our first photos of our son Sidney.
Oh yeah, and we got keys to the new house yesterday. Now we've just got to move...
Sunday, July 22, 2007
Lola pic updates
Finally getting around to some new photos around here. First, this one's for Rosie (click for larger):
Adding new photos to the regular Lola album too, and I'll dust off the Lola page to post some new videos later tonight I hope.
Still no baby brother to report. Going for final walkthrough on the new house in a few minutes, closing tomorrow. Let's just see how close together we can get the two events to occur. Sheesh.
Adding new photos to the regular Lola album too, and I'll dust off the Lola page to post some new videos later tonight I hope.
Still no baby brother to report. Going for final walkthrough on the new house in a few minutes, closing tomorrow. Let's just see how close together we can get the two events to occur. Sheesh.
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
Marketing machine
This is kind of cool while at the same time being a bit off-putting in all its capitalist extravagance - the marketing machine that is The Simpsons Movie. That website has so much stuff to explore it's kind of intimidating me. But this is fun...you can create an avatar there. So here's me as a Simpson:
Monday, July 16, 2007
Keeping up
It's hard to keep this blog viable when it feels like I just have the same stuff to say every time. ..
Another day, another brushfire. Had a good view of it tonight, the hills above Caughlin Ranch aflame quite visibly as we came home from dinner with friends. Seems like every day or two, something else is burning. At least the really hot weather has settled back to normal hot. Speaking of, um, brush...did something fun this weekend, a movie in the woods. A friend of a friend does this most years, drags out a bunch of gear into the forest in Dog Valley and shows a low grade scary movie for anyone who cares to show up. This year it was Slumber Party Massacre which I watched about half of before turning in, followed by Dawn of the Dead. Fun time, grilled some burgers, drank some beers, slept in the van with Morgan and Lola, Paige and Maggie up top. That's about the most ambitious camping we'll be up for this year, I'm thinking.
Got word today that we'll probably be able to close the deal on our new house next Monday, coincidentally the due date for baby brother. Hopefully the timing of things will shake out agreeably for all, one great event coming before the other rather than everything simultaneously. Speaking of the move, we've treated ourselves to a few more big purchases with some of the equity from the sale of the house - found a decent dining room table and chairs (luckily, we can leave it at the store for as long as we like, until the end of July if need be) and really splurged on a nice big LCD TV that Costco had on sale. Next up? A new sofa (or if I'm lucky, a sectional) for the living room, and fat shed for the backyard. Managed to stock up on a variety of sundry items at the Rite Aid-turned-Longs up on MaeAnne, bunch of miscellany up there for 75% off right now, too!
I suppose that's the best I can offer for now, loyal readers (all of you).
Another day, another brushfire. Had a good view of it tonight, the hills above Caughlin Ranch aflame quite visibly as we came home from dinner with friends. Seems like every day or two, something else is burning. At least the really hot weather has settled back to normal hot. Speaking of, um, brush...did something fun this weekend, a movie in the woods. A friend of a friend does this most years, drags out a bunch of gear into the forest in Dog Valley and shows a low grade scary movie for anyone who cares to show up. This year it was Slumber Party Massacre which I watched about half of before turning in, followed by Dawn of the Dead. Fun time, grilled some burgers, drank some beers, slept in the van with Morgan and Lola, Paige and Maggie up top. That's about the most ambitious camping we'll be up for this year, I'm thinking.
Got word today that we'll probably be able to close the deal on our new house next Monday, coincidentally the due date for baby brother. Hopefully the timing of things will shake out agreeably for all, one great event coming before the other rather than everything simultaneously. Speaking of the move, we've treated ourselves to a few more big purchases with some of the equity from the sale of the house - found a decent dining room table and chairs (luckily, we can leave it at the store for as long as we like, until the end of July if need be) and really splurged on a nice big LCD TV that Costco had on sale. Next up? A new sofa (or if I'm lucky, a sectional) for the living room, and fat shed for the backyard. Managed to stock up on a variety of sundry items at the Rite Aid-turned-Longs up on MaeAnne, bunch of miscellany up there for 75% off right now, too!
I suppose that's the best I can offer for now, loyal readers (all of you).
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
awkward
I have exactly 12 days until my due date, according to the countdown on the computer put up by Marc. I think that awkward is the best description that I can come up with to describe how I am feeling. It has been a bit on the hot side, but today I am indulging in the cool air that is gently blowing through the house. It is a bit smoke filled, but I'll take it.
Lola is waiting for Baby Brother to "open the door" and come out. I am not sure who explained this phenomenon or where she come up with it, but I truly think it will work until she is ready for that explanation down the road. I believe that Lola is going to LOVE being a big sister. We have talked about it since we found out. She loves to talk to him, kiss the paunch in which he sits, and can't wait to help out. Her new word this week is 'irritated.' She picked it up from Paige. I don't think that she understands its meaning, and so hopefully, Baby Brother will not become an 'irritating' acquisition to the Tiar household or to Lola's world.
Other than that news, I have nothing new to share. Big adjustments are on the horizon for all of us: new baby and new house. A lot of work ahead of us.
Lola is waiting for Baby Brother to "open the door" and come out. I am not sure who explained this phenomenon or where she come up with it, but I truly think it will work until she is ready for that explanation down the road. I believe that Lola is going to LOVE being a big sister. We have talked about it since we found out. She loves to talk to him, kiss the paunch in which he sits, and can't wait to help out. Her new word this week is 'irritated.' She picked it up from Paige. I don't think that she understands its meaning, and so hopefully, Baby Brother will not become an 'irritating' acquisition to the Tiar household or to Lola's world.
Other than that news, I have nothing new to share. Big adjustments are on the horizon for all of us: new baby and new house. A lot of work ahead of us.
Friday, July 6, 2007
Aiche Oh Tee
That spells HOT. Damn hot. Tied the all-time record for hot yesterday in Reno, 108 degrees (or 42C for you foreigners). That's at least two days over 100 this week, today as well, and the forecast is for high 90s for the next several days. Enough already. It's 7am and 80 degrees in this house (note: that's still 80 vs. already 80 - I think that's an important distinction; it's not that it was nicer and has risen to 80, it just never got any cooler in here). We couldn't take it last night and moved ourselves, the poor dogs and a certain sweaty two-year-old down to sleep in the basement.
We went to have the new house inspected yesterday, and their air conditioning was set to 71. It's amazing how much difference 9 degrees makes. Maybe it's just psychological, but on days like this, I'm never going outside after we move. I don't understand how people live in places where it's like this routinely (Baghdad, Arizona, Laughlin, etc.) and especially in developing/war-torn countries where air conditioning and/or a consistent power supply are a rarity.
Nothing else of note to report or link to. As usual, impending baby and impending house dominate our overheated life right now. Well, on with my day.
Monday, July 2, 2007
Monday morning update
A first...first photo of Lola taken by the iPhone. Nice gadget, but I'm not anywhere close to dropping 6 bills for one. Thanks for the test drive, Ryan. More than enough critiques and analysis of its features already out there, so I won't bother.
Still in "getting ready for baby and new house simultaneously" mode around here. Bought some new patio furniture this week and some shelving for the garage. Heading to Ikea on Wednesday (have to take advantage of a rare day off together, for 4th of July in this case) to scope out area rugs, dining room sets, crib bedding, etc. It's supposed to be about 105 here in Reno, Sacramento should be a real sweatlodge. Hopefully we'll be home in time for a swim.
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
Finally, Portland pictures
A new album with the highlights of our Portland trip. Well, only some of them. Body Worlds didn't allow photos, and some of the highlights, like swimming at the hotel pool and enjoying a good meal and beer, didn't have good photo ops.
Chugging right along, both houses (the one we're selling and the one we're buying) got appraised today. Still no moving date, only tentative closing dates, and baby brother still hanging out in utero, waiting to make his grand entrance. Selling a couple things we don't want to move, looking for some new stuff to outfit the new place. I feel oddly calm today, like I'm in the eye of the hurricane, chaos abounds, but I'm at peace for the moment.
I wish there were easier/better ways to document Lola's development and capture the crazy funny things she says these days. "Dada you're so cute" or "Daddy you're a silly boy" are just a couple off the top of my head. I need a voice activated micro-recorder that attaches to her clothes just to get it all to share with those not present. She's such a sweet girl, I can hardly stand it.
Chugging right along, both houses (the one we're selling and the one we're buying) got appraised today. Still no moving date, only tentative closing dates, and baby brother still hanging out in utero, waiting to make his grand entrance. Selling a couple things we don't want to move, looking for some new stuff to outfit the new place. I feel oddly calm today, like I'm in the eye of the hurricane, chaos abounds, but I'm at peace for the moment.
I wish there were easier/better ways to document Lola's development and capture the crazy funny things she says these days. "Dada you're so cute" or "Daddy you're a silly boy" are just a couple off the top of my head. I need a voice activated micro-recorder that attaches to her clothes just to get it all to share with those not present. She's such a sweet girl, I can hardly stand it.
Thursday, June 21, 2007
Tidbits
Just had to post this video of Lola going for a swim last week. Sorry the quality is so low, it's from a cell phone.
And just a random bizarre link for today. Ladies, you'd better be sitting down, it's time for Mr. Romance.
And just a random bizarre link for today. Ladies, you'd better be sitting down, it's time for Mr. Romance.
Monday, June 18, 2007
wild for Windsor!
So, it is official. Our offer was accepted and the Tiar family will be moving into their new house sometime after the 27th of July when we close. Oh, that is 4 days after Baby Brother is due to arrive. I like to keep things interesting. I figure unless we were waiting a few months, I am never going to be that much help - to big and pregnant now. After, well just healing with an infant. Anyway it happens, it is not far to move and I am so excited, I will be packed and ready before.
Amy is leaving tomorrow. She is the neighbor across the street. She's Lola's best friend. She is only sad when she thinks about leaving Lola and Marc and I got a little verklempt when talking about it earlier. Lola went over to help pack and clean for a while (probably really to take a break and play with her dogs). After she came home, she started packing her flip flops and other assorted items into a plastic bag, informing me that she was going to New Jersey with Amy.
Poor Lola. Lots of changes. She seems very excited about Baby Brother and talks to him all the time. Apparently he hears better when she lifts my shirt and talks directly against my skin. I am hoping that my new stories of a new bedroom and new house will actually make the transition smooth for her. She is a pretty resilient, adaptable, and easy going child.
No other news really. It's hot. It seems to be getting hotter. Did I mention AC in the new house? That cannot happen soon enough.
Amy is leaving tomorrow. She is the neighbor across the street. She's Lola's best friend. She is only sad when she thinks about leaving Lola and Marc and I got a little verklempt when talking about it earlier. Lola went over to help pack and clean for a while (probably really to take a break and play with her dogs). After she came home, she started packing her flip flops and other assorted items into a plastic bag, informing me that she was going to New Jersey with Amy.
Poor Lola. Lots of changes. She seems very excited about Baby Brother and talks to him all the time. Apparently he hears better when she lifts my shirt and talks directly against my skin. I am hoping that my new stories of a new bedroom and new house will actually make the transition smooth for her. She is a pretty resilient, adaptable, and easy going child.
No other news really. It's hot. It seems to be getting hotter. Did I mention AC in the new house? That cannot happen soon enough.
Friday, June 15, 2007
Resurfacing
Sorry to all you devoted readers out there for the absence lately, life gets busy. I'm finally back on the radar.
So, Portland was a great time had by all. I figured out a key difference between the cheap (think Motel 6) motels and expensive (Marriott) hotels. They gouge you for everything in the latter because they can - the business travelers and rich folks who typically stay there can drop $10/day on wifi without being too worried about the bottom line. The frugal types look for the most bang for their buck in choosing lodging, so the cheaper places offer as many freebies as they can to get your business, from internet to continental breakfast. That's why there were no postings from Portland - we did spring for one day's wifi but the rest of our access was in brief visits to Maggie's apartment and writing was not in the cards.
We did have a grand old time, from the little carnival set up for the Rose Festival to the Body Worlds exhibit at OMSI. Our zoo visit got rained out, but the Portland Children's Museum proved a worthy substitute for a little while. We ate well, from Rock Bottom Brewery to Kell's for breakfast. Saturday Market was nice too, despite the rain, and I picked up a bottle of Rogue that I've never seen before to drink on Father's Day. A longer visit would have been nice, as would the absence of rain the whole time, but genuinely, a great trip, and Lola was a great traveler both ways and throughout our stay. Photos are coming soon, I promise.
In other news, perhaps most notably of all, we've (more or less) sold our house!! After initially deciding that perhaps selling to a friend wasn't best and telling Jack as much, his other options didn't pan out, we reconsidered, and we've come to a good agreement. As long as the appraiser and inspector agree, we're good! Next up, confirming that we definitely want the other house, putting in a offer and closing that deal.
Finally, a bit of social commentary by Marc...what the hell is going on this country? Three stories that make me feel like North Korea or East Germany are our models for justice. Airport fiasco, beer-providing mom doing time, and teen sex ruins kid's life. Whatever happened to letting the punishment fit the crime? Link one really steams me, as a parent I can completely put myself in that woman's shoes. She's a former Secret Service for cryin' out loud. If it happened to her, it could happen to any one of us. If our country wasn't so dang big, I'd swear off flying completely.
The other two stories are similar in our tendency to just lock people up. Did the mom do wrong? Of course. Fine her, put her on probation, make her pick up trash by the roadside, send her to parenting classes. Two years in jail? I'm sure that's good for the family. And the kid in Georgia...I'm sure a former honor student and athlete will be better off in society having done time for the crime of oral sex. Can't vote, nobody wants to hire him or rent him a house. Ex-cons don't have it easy, and while I don't necessarily think that they should, this kid's life is probably shot because he did something that goes on every day in every city in the country without penalty. What a load.
And just so as not to end this post and launch the weekend on a completely down note, two of my aides at work just gave me a $10 Starbucks card just because I'm a nice boss. Sure can't beat that.
So, Portland was a great time had by all. I figured out a key difference between the cheap (think Motel 6) motels and expensive (Marriott) hotels. They gouge you for everything in the latter because they can - the business travelers and rich folks who typically stay there can drop $10/day on wifi without being too worried about the bottom line. The frugal types look for the most bang for their buck in choosing lodging, so the cheaper places offer as many freebies as they can to get your business, from internet to continental breakfast. That's why there were no postings from Portland - we did spring for one day's wifi but the rest of our access was in brief visits to Maggie's apartment and writing was not in the cards.
We did have a grand old time, from the little carnival set up for the Rose Festival to the Body Worlds exhibit at OMSI. Our zoo visit got rained out, but the Portland Children's Museum proved a worthy substitute for a little while. We ate well, from Rock Bottom Brewery to Kell's for breakfast. Saturday Market was nice too, despite the rain, and I picked up a bottle of Rogue that I've never seen before to drink on Father's Day. A longer visit would have been nice, as would the absence of rain the whole time, but genuinely, a great trip, and Lola was a great traveler both ways and throughout our stay. Photos are coming soon, I promise.
In other news, perhaps most notably of all, we've (more or less) sold our house!! After initially deciding that perhaps selling to a friend wasn't best and telling Jack as much, his other options didn't pan out, we reconsidered, and we've come to a good agreement. As long as the appraiser and inspector agree, we're good! Next up, confirming that we definitely want the other house, putting in a offer and closing that deal.
Finally, a bit of social commentary by Marc...what the hell is going on this country? Three stories that make me feel like North Korea or East Germany are our models for justice. Airport fiasco, beer-providing mom doing time, and teen sex ruins kid's life. Whatever happened to letting the punishment fit the crime? Link one really steams me, as a parent I can completely put myself in that woman's shoes. She's a former Secret Service for cryin' out loud. If it happened to her, it could happen to any one of us. If our country wasn't so dang big, I'd swear off flying completely.
The other two stories are similar in our tendency to just lock people up. Did the mom do wrong? Of course. Fine her, put her on probation, make her pick up trash by the roadside, send her to parenting classes. Two years in jail? I'm sure that's good for the family. And the kid in Georgia...I'm sure a former honor student and athlete will be better off in society having done time for the crime of oral sex. Can't vote, nobody wants to hire him or rent him a house. Ex-cons don't have it easy, and while I don't necessarily think that they should, this kid's life is probably shot because he did something that goes on every day in every city in the country without penalty. What a load.
And just so as not to end this post and launch the weekend on a completely down note, two of my aides at work just gave me a $10 Starbucks card just because I'm a nice boss. Sure can't beat that.
Thursday, June 7, 2007
Live from Eugene
Thanks to the glory of free wifi, I'm writing live from my motel room bed in Eugene, OR, on our way to Portland. I wish I knew my way around so we might have found a more, um, scenic? cultural? how about "less industrial" part of town to stay in. As long as I'm wishing, let's tack on a few extra hours last night and this morning to have a look around too. Got in, got fed at Olive Garden, found a market for cold medicine, checked email, went to bed, and we'll be on the road again before long.
Other highlights from the road...incredible drivers, not maniacal ones like we're used to, but the ones who insist on driving 5mph below the speed limit in the fast lane and won't budge. The locals in Grants Pass...we stopped for gas, and while it was a nice surprise that apparently Oregon has full service gas everywhere, the locals we were surrounded by at the AM/PM make Reno look like Portland in its cultural excellence and GP look like one big Sun Valley, and not the nice part towards the back. Construction on 395, CA36, CA44....Lola's crankiness before her nap....brief torrential rains...roadside scrap metal dragon art...(dragon photo as well as some nice Mt. Shasta pics on this page)
Well, it's about time to rouse the rest of the Tiars from bed and get the show on the road. Portland awaits.
Other highlights from the road...incredible drivers, not maniacal ones like we're used to, but the ones who insist on driving 5mph below the speed limit in the fast lane and won't budge. The locals in Grants Pass...we stopped for gas, and while it was a nice surprise that apparently Oregon has full service gas everywhere, the locals we were surrounded by at the AM/PM make Reno look like Portland in its cultural excellence and GP look like one big Sun Valley, and not the nice part towards the back. Construction on 395, CA36, CA44....Lola's crankiness before her nap....brief torrential rains...roadside scrap metal dragon art...(dragon photo as well as some nice Mt. Shasta pics on this page)
Well, it's about time to rouse the rest of the Tiars from bed and get the show on the road. Portland awaits.
Monday, June 4, 2007
And more photos...
The very day I posted those other photos, Lola took a tumble down the back stairs outside. Nothing major, just tears and wailing for a few minutes and her poor face ended up looking a little like Rocky Balboa before he fights back. Had to document the occasion with a series of photos our photogenic little angel.
Two days until we drive to Portland to see Maggie and corpses. Feels like we should be doing more preparations around here. Bought some toys and snacks for the road today, then had to rush home for yet another showing to a potential buyer. And that's on top of the two phone calls this morning scheduling showings for tomorrow! One of these days someone's just got to be the one to buy it...
Two days until we drive to Portland to see Maggie and corpses. Feels like we should be doing more preparations around here. Bought some toys and snacks for the road today, then had to rush home for yet another showing to a potential buyer. And that's on top of the two phone calls this morning scheduling showings for tomorrow! One of these days someone's just got to be the one to buy it...
Saturday, June 2, 2007
Amazingly, photos
Welcome, infrequent visitors!
Finally got around to posting some new photos from recent weeks. All Lola, if you can believe that. Check 'em out here.
Right now:
And just because I made you read through that inane list, here's a fun link for you.
Finally got around to posting some new photos from recent weeks. All Lola, if you can believe that. Check 'em out here.
Right now:
- Lola and Morgan are napping
- Maggie just went for a jog
- Cina is panting like mad after chasing thunder for the last 40 minutes
- The house is really tidy following today's successful open house (successful in that we had seven families/couples come see the house, which apparently is really good...not successful in the sense that we haven't seen any offers yet)
- My weekend is upon us
And just because I made you read through that inane list, here's a fun link for you.
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
In brief...
Huh, I forgot to title my last post, so just did it now. See below.
Briefly, the offer we submitted was countered with terms we can't accept, so we're back in limbo with the house buying/selling situation. Bummer, truly. I hate having to listen to my own advice, that everything happens for a reason, and if it's meant to be, it'll happen somehow. I don't really know if that's true, but it seems to be a lot of the time, so I keep telling that to myself and whoever else it applies to. I really hope so.
Saw a sneak preview of Knocked Up last night. Really really liked it. Funny, sweet, enjoyable movie. Same stars from this director's usual stable, so if you liked Freaks and Geeks, Undeclared, 40-year-old Virgin, you'll probably like this.
That's all for now, wish us luck...
Briefly, the offer we submitted was countered with terms we can't accept, so we're back in limbo with the house buying/selling situation. Bummer, truly. I hate having to listen to my own advice, that everything happens for a reason, and if it's meant to be, it'll happen somehow. I don't really know if that's true, but it seems to be a lot of the time, so I keep telling that to myself and whoever else it applies to. I really hope so.
Saw a sneak preview of Knocked Up last night. Really really liked it. Funny, sweet, enjoyable movie. Same stars from this director's usual stable, so if you liked Freaks and Geeks, Undeclared, 40-year-old Virgin, you'll probably like this.
That's all for now, wish us luck...
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
Untitled?
Well, here we go...we put in an offer on the house we really like yesterday! Contingent on the sale of our house, and we have to wait another day for an answer because one of the sellers is in Iraq. We're feeling good about the offer we made as well as our chances of selling our house. We've got a couple interested parties and a good backup if they don't come through. More details to come as things develop. Also saw another nice house that would be a good backup if the first one doesn't work out, coincidentally, with a floor plan identical to Turi and Mich's place.
Been a booming last few days around here. Family is all gone home now, but we had a great time with all our visitors. Shot some balls at the Aqua Range with Paige and Grandpa Dave, and even made some beer yesterday for next month's celebration of impending baby brother. It's bubbling away happily on the basement stairs now.
Also during my nice five-day weekend, I finally finished The Kite Runner, enjoyed the last third of it far more than the first two-thirds that took me forever to read; plowed straight through Michael Connelly's new The Overlook and really enjoyed it (although it was a pretty quick read, a bit shorter than a typical Connelly book); and finished the Burning Man book I started a long time ago, Inspired Madness, and put down when I found it a bit too Burroughs Naked Lunch oddball-like in language and style. Wow, that was quite the lengthy sentence. Oh yeah, we also started watching Volver last night. Jury's still out for me particularly since we didn't finish it yet, but it's sort of weird too.
OK, that's all for now. With any luck, next time I write we'll be in escrow.
Been a booming last few days around here. Family is all gone home now, but we had a great time with all our visitors. Shot some balls at the Aqua Range with Paige and Grandpa Dave, and even made some beer yesterday for next month's celebration of impending baby brother. It's bubbling away happily on the basement stairs now.
Also during my nice five-day weekend, I finally finished The Kite Runner, enjoyed the last third of it far more than the first two-thirds that took me forever to read; plowed straight through Michael Connelly's new The Overlook and really enjoyed it (although it was a pretty quick read, a bit shorter than a typical Connelly book); and finished the Burning Man book I started a long time ago, Inspired Madness, and put down when I found it a bit too Burroughs Naked Lunch oddball-like in language and style. Wow, that was quite the lengthy sentence. Oh yeah, we also started watching Volver last night. Jury's still out for me particularly since we didn't finish it yet, but it's sort of weird too.
OK, that's all for now. With any luck, next time I write we'll be in escrow.
Thursday, May 24, 2007
Just testing
For some reason yesterday's post didn't come through on the Feedburner email. Just posting something new to see if it's broken. This is it.
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
Just stuff
Are you freakin' serious?
I just find it hard to believe some things despite strong evidence that they're true.
Sorry, I've been remiss in posting, especially any new Lola pictures lately aside from the cookie thing recently. And sorry for using such huge files for that one. Hopefully I'll figure out the thumbnail feature of Wordpress next time. Speaking of learning new things, I did have a major score this week and figured out how to share the printer downstairs so we can print from the wireless laptop, as well as share files between the two computers. It's really sweet.
Grandpa Dave is here (geez, I just found the photo gallery broken when I went create that link...why does this stuff keep happening?!?!?) for a visit and Madeleine and her mom should be here tomorrow. I'm lucky enough to have some time off, from 1pm tomorrow through next Tuesday. Hopefully will get some beer brewed, root beer made, and even swing a golf club a little bit at some point. Holiday weekend, woo-hoo! And speaking of fun stuff, we actually got to the movies last weekend, to see Spider Man 3. Good show, good fun, if you don't try to take it too seriously and can appreciate some of the typical Raimi goofiness. And Michael Moore's new movie looks promising.
Lola is really a firecracker these days. Her speech is to the point of having nearly normal conversations with her now, even if her statements aren't always true or realistic. She's also becoming quite the rough and tumble kid now that weather is improving and she likes to play outside so much. Scraped knees, stubbed toes, all of that is more or less commonplace around maison Tiar these days.
And, as long as I'm tossing out links willy nilly here, check out this newish online encyclopedia of all things Nevada. Really a nice site, if you find such things of interest.
And lastly, this odd blog claiming to be written by a man on the run from the law, with his adopted son. Could be fiction, could be delusion, could be a clever marketing idea for a movie or something. Found that somewhere, I thought Metafilter, but it wasn't. But in searching Metafilter for the link, I was reminded how amazingly chock full of wonderous reading that site is. It's also a massive timesuck, so proceed with caution. Also fun, Ask Metafilter, for giving or receiving (or just reading) oddball advice from the masses.
And that's all for now.
Saturday, May 19, 2007
Making cookies
Lola and I decided to make cookies together one afternoon. Okay, I decided that we needed to make cookies. We sent half back to work with Marc so that we would not eat them all. [Note: Adding captions has become an all-consuming obsession for me that I have yet to get working correctly. Until I do, just hover your mouse over the photos for the caption. - Marc] [Captions now working! - Marc]
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