Anyone Have a Dinghy We Could Borrow?

This path took me by surprise. Of course, the forecast of Sandy's path has been shifting the last few hours - when I woke up this morning, it was extreme lower Delaware, then midday it had moved up to Northern New Jersey - and just now when I checked it... it looks like it is going to cut across Cape May and then Middletown, Delaware. Middletown is about 20 minutes south of here.

We have supplies, candles, and are charging all the electronics... wish us luck.

Piper Apres Le Diner

I have a real finished object post coming - just too tired to do it tonight. Here's a messy picture of Piper instead.



One day she will stop smearing food on herself, right?

Orange-belted Willow

Willow has moved up to the next level in her Taekwondo classes! This one has been a long time in coming, not necessarily because it was more difficult, but because there were so many weekends in the summer where there were no classes or she had a conflicting birthday party to attend or we were in another country... Willow says that what she likes best about Taekwondo is that Taekwondo gives her the means to control herself when she gets angry or aggravated by other people.

Onto the green belt!

Chicago Trip: The Good and the Bad

I know I don't talk much about my job here - other to say how much I love it - but earlier last week I had the chance to travel to Chicago and not only participate in a large industry conference, but present at it as well. This was the first time I had been able to present, and I was very excited about it. Here was the view of my hotel room on the 36th floor:



Pretty nice, right? I loved coming back to the room - I would pull the curtains open every time so I could see the water.

Here was the view from the window near the elevators on my floor - I can't get over the color of the water here - it looks so tropical:



Here is a close up and you can see the Navy Pier with ferris wheel from same elevator window:



Are you catching the theme here?

Yeah, I didn't leave the hotel for three days. 

Don't get me wrong - I didn't have my nose to the grindstone the entire time - I did attend many sessions and learned so much about how things are changing in my industry, as well as met many of my counterparts with other companies and government agencies.  The thing is, I got really sick... as in worship the porcelain god sick - the night before my presentation.  I wasn't sure at first if it was food poisoning or nerves, but it was horrible.  The next morning, I checked my text messages, and there was a note from Andrew saying the girls had been sick all night... Poor Daddy.  This was my first trip away from Piper, and I was so worried about how she would take it - I hadn't anticipated at all that a stomach bug would take us all down.  I love my husband for being here with the girls and taking it all in stride.

So - the good?  I stayed in a nice hotel with a beautiful view, learned some interesting stuff, and gave a kick ass presentation.  Despite the unpleasantness of the night before, I felt much better by the time 4:30pm rolled around.  I really wasn't nervous at all (you know me - I love to talk and teach people stuff!)

The bad?  This was my second trip to Chicago (the first being 2 years ago when I was 6 months pregnant with Piper to the same conference), and I still haven't seen much of the city.  It looks like a really cool place and I do hope I get the chance to come back and explore it one day.   And maybe eat some of its famous food?  I teased my boss and told her I was saving the company money because I only managed to eat 3 meals in the 3 days I was away.  You would think that would have me losing weight, but no such luck!

Piper Picasso

Before Piper was born, my friend Tracy gave me this Crayola Color Me A Song easel. Her son had received two for his birthday, and he didn't need two. I took it home, put it the baby-to-be's closet... and promptly forgot about it until this past weekend. I popped in new batteries, gave Piper her Crayola Twistables Crayons (the only ones she will use without eating), and she went to town!  It's a cool toy - the faster you draw or colour, the faster the music goes, and you can choose one or more instruments to play as you draw.  I've even caught Willow playing with it, trying to see just how fast she can make the music come out.

So, it's been nearly two years - but thank you, Tracy!  Piper loves it!

39 Years, 10 Months, 22 Days

Yep, that is how old I am today. And that is how long I lasted before having to dye my hair to cover the white. I used to pull the white hair out (the ones I could find, anyway), but they were coming in too fast for me to keep up with. And to make matters strange, my white hair is stick straight, in direct contrast to my naturally curly hair. Someone up there is just messing with me.

It won't be straight tomorrow - and to be honest, I am surprised it is as straight as it is right now considering the extreme humidity and flash heavy rainstorms we have been having all day.  I'm really happy with the colour - I went into the salon with something more red in mind, but the stylist convinced me that this would be a better colour for my skin tone.

Here is a less smiley picture - but shows how the cut is angled toward the front:



Okay... someone remind me about upkeep in 6-8 weeks?  That's the part I always struggle with - remembering to keep it looking pretty.

Arden Fair 2012

Piper, Willow, and I went to the 105th Annual Arden Fair yesterday, and it was a beautiful day for it. Andrew wasn't able to come with us because he had to help his Dad with a project, and I was a bit apprehensive on how I was going to manage Piper and all her gear. Willow is a great help, but you have to park at Hanby Camp and catch a school bus to the Arden Fair - which means lugging the monster stroller, diaper bag, and Piper up and down the bus stairs, maneuvering over people...

Gah.

I'm happy to say that there were some really nice people on the bus. One lady in particular - she came out of the bus, got the stroller for me, carried it on, and kept it beside her on the bus at the front so I wouldn't have to carry it to the back. When we arrived at the fair, she was the first one off the bus, and she set up the stroller and waited for us to get off so we could get Piper in it. Thank you for the kindness of strangers!

We arrived at the Fair right when it opened, and the first thing I did was buy my large bag of Kettle Corn. It's delicious, and they make it there for you! Normally I get the Kettle corn on the way out, but then you always have to wait in line with all the other people who are thinking the same thing.

We walked around a bit and checked out the different vendors (everything from food to tie-dyed clothing to herbal stuff to art to dolls - there is even an antiques section) and then went to the midway to go on some rides. Now, the truth be told, Willow is getting too big to go on these rides, but being the best big sister in the world, she folded herself into small places went on these rides with Piper.

They went on the Thomas the Tank Engine ride:



The Rocket Ship ride:



And then, since it wasn't crowded yet, Piper and Willow went on the swings. I wasn't sure what to expect - Willow at this age was terrified of swings, but Piper is apparently a speed demon.



Excuse the quality of the above photos - I forgot my snazzy cameras when we went to the fair, so I was limited to my cell phone.

We also bought some stuff from the vendors - here is our loot:



Piper bought a fleece skirt, Willow bought a pretty hairband, and (no surprise!), I bought yarn. Now I just need to find something I can knit with 150 yards of DK weight handspun. We left the fair just before noon, and so probably missed most of the crowds, and that was fine by me. I wouldn't want to do this again without another adult around, but I'm glad that with some help of some strangers we were able to manage the bus situation with all the toddler equipment.

*****

My Dad has been hassling me about not updating the blog frequently. I know I haven't done my vacation recap yet, either - but that one is taking some thinking through since I have 100+ photos to choose from. But the truth is blogging hasn't been terribly rewarding of late. In my last 8 blogposts, I have had 5 comments. Total. I get much more of a reaction from people when I post my content on Facebook. I honestly don't know if people just don't read blogs much anymore - or whether it is just my former steady stream of readers, like me, have grown up in the last 8 years or so and blogging doesn't have a place in their lives anymore. I don't know what the solution is... but I think in the meantime my Dad needs to set himself up with a Facebook account so he can see the almost daily pics I post of the girls.

Book Review: Gunmetal Magic by Ilona Andrews

Gunmetal Magic by Ilona Andrews
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I loved this book! I was worried at first to read a book about the Kate Daniels' universe that wasn't from Kate's point of view, but it worked so well to have the POV shifted (no pun intended) to Andrea. I really hope that Ilona Andrews continues to write this companion series to the Kate Daniel books. I loved the interplay between Andrea and Raphael, and it was interesting to get more of Andrea's backstory, as well as her different connections and relationships to known characters.

View all my reviews

Sunday Afternoon Progress

So, what would you do if the weather forecast was to be in the mid-90s and humid on a August Sunday? Stay inside and enjoy the airconditioning, right? That would have been the sane thing to do. What did we do on an August Sunday where it hit 95'F in the shade?

We went to the Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire



Omigod it was hot. I think I melted 2 inches off my height and it slid down to create more girth. While walking around, I drank six half-litre bottles of water, 2 sodas, and the remainder of Willow's lemonade when she deemed it too tart. I didn't care - it was liquid.

I didn't take too many pictures this time - I was having a hard enough time staying hydrated and keeping Piper amused. Willow's friend, Amanda, came with us - so the two of them had lots of adventures discovering the maze (the maze-keeper shouted: "Send your kids in the maze - come home with with more space in the car!"), ridding hippogryphs, petting baby dragons (geckos), watching the joust, taking in some Shakespeare... and swordfighting.



Yes, the girls bought themselves swords. Seeing as I am sure their other friends do not have wooden swords, I suppose they will just have to beat each other with them. Amanda says she will also poke her brother with hers if he annoys her.

Here's a pic from the joust:



Not to self - next time don't wear light-coloured cargo shorts if you don't want a dusty bum. Yes, there was plenty of bench sitting available, but you had to sit in open sun - almost everyone opted to sit in the copse of trees to take advantage of the bit of shade.

We had lots of fun - and bought return to tickets for another weekend - hopefully in a few weeks when the high is maybe 70'F. And breezy. Even overcast. Sweater weather - it's coming soon.

 

Scary Summer Skies

I had to pick up Willow after a fieldtrip tonight, and after a hot, sunny day, it got dark in a hurry - as in about 15 minutes, starting around 7pm. Luckily, I had my new camera in my purse, so I started taking pictures of the skies as I was waiting for Willow with my shiny new red camera (Nikon Coolpix S4300).  You can still see the blue skies behind the clouds, and yes - the wind really was that loud!

I have to say I like the HD video, but it takes forever and a day to download. If anyone has any tips on that, I would appreciate it!

The Elusive Piper-Fairy

We have a pair of wings around the house left-over from one of Willow's Halloween costumes, and Willow and I decided to put the wings on Piper.



It worked at first, but no matter what I did, I couldn't get a straight-on picture of her.



But then I had an idea! I would take a video of the elusive Piper-Fairy in action!



Yeah... that didn't last long!

Double-digit Daughter

Yes, Willow at ten is this cool. She is my brainy, earnest, believes-in-the-good-of-everybody, I'm-going-to-win-it-all, creative, nurturing, smart-ass daughter, and I hope no one ever dares to knock any of that out of her.

Moonbounce Introduction

It was Willow's Camp Carnival tonight, and Piper got her first taste of the childhood tradition - the moonbounce!



She loved it, but really didn't understand how to move at first. Luckily, we were able to get into one of the moonbounces where there weren't any other children in it, so Willow was able to play safely with Piper without someone else going crazy in it.

Willow, being the best big sister, also took Piper on some of the big slides, which also proved to be a big hit:



And I'm sorry - but you will have to tilt your head to the side for this one - for some reason my camera won't let you rotate the video if you have taken it sideways:



I just loved watching Andrew chase Piper and Willow around - they were all so happy.

Piper With Straw

Yes, she is a joy to have in restaurants...

Coffee Creamer Experiment

Andrew and I both like our coffee hot, light, and sweet - and as a result, we go through lots of coffee creamer. Fat Free Coffee Mate French Vanilla, to be exact. And as a further result of using lots of coffee creamer, we run out of said coffee creamer, and usually at the most inopportune times.

Like earlier in the week when there was a rip-roaring thunderstorm at 5:30am, so I couldn't jump in the shower like I normally do. I went downstairs to make coffee, and Andrew took care of Piper. I brewed the coffee - our favourite is Starbuck's Yukon Blend in the french press. Yes, we really are coffee snobs. I went into the fridge to get the creamer and indulge in the best cup of coffee...

And There Is No Creamer.

The horror.

Andrew comes down with Piper, and I tell Andrew there is no creamer - and my husband - this will tell you how much he knows and loves me - hands me Piper and says, "Let me get my jeans on." He went out to ACME at 5:45am to get creamer in a thunderstorm.

Later that night I was on Pinterest and saw a pin that my sister Teri had posted for Vanilla ice cubes and wondered if you could freeze coffee creamer. I queried my friends on Facebook, and the general consensus was that it should be possible. So, I went rooting through my scary tupperware cupboard (really, don't ask - we're both happier that way) and found a silicone ice cube tray, and then filled it with creamer:



Yes, not your standard ice cube tray - it is actually intended to make long skinny ice cubes you can put in water bottles, but it was all I could find. We normally buy bags of ice. Here is the frozen coffee creamer the next morning:



It solidified - that was a good sign! Part of me wondered if it tasted like ice cream. Have you ever tasted just coffee creamer without the coffee? To me the french vanilla stuff kind of tastes like liquid marshmallows. Here is one of the frozen sticks melting in my coffee:



I ended up putting two sticks in - these are 16oz mugs - and it was perfect!



Me enjoying my coffee - so good!



The experiment was a success - I don't think the frozen creamer cooled down the coffee a great deal more than the refrigerated creamer did. I can't attest to how long the frozen creamer would last in a ziploc bag since I used mine up the next day, but I think I am going to do this from now on when I have little bits left in the creamer bottle (and hopefully save me some angst when I find out one morning that someone has put the empty creamer bottle back in the refrigerator!)

Beastly Hot (With A Side of Tomatoes)

It is beastly hot - and this kind of scares me since it is only June. What is it going to be like when the dog days of August set in? Today it is 97'F/36'C (and with the humidity factored in, it is 106'F/41'F). What do you do when it is beastly hot?

You go swimming!



I bought a little wading pool for Willow and Piper, but only filled it with a few inches of water because I wasn't sure how Piper was going to take to it.

Apparently I had nothing to worry about!



Willow and Piper playing - and you can see some of my tomatoes in background:



I have 7 tomato plants, all in containers. They are all supposed to be little tomatoes - grape, cherry, etc. Except for these ones - they came in a set that my mother-in-law bought me, but they are growing much larger than anticipated - about the size of large lemons:



And here are some of my cherry tomatoes:



And my grape tomatoes (sorry for the blurry pic!):



And some yellow cherry tomatoes:



As much as I feel sticky and uncomfortable in this weather, the heat and sun have made my tomato plants go gangbusters, and I foresee many tomato-inundated meals this summer!

First Harvest

I went out to check on my tomato plants tonight - we had a windy night and morning, and I had noticed earlier that the tomato cages were a bit wobbly. Look what I found!



A ripe tomato! It's a type of small tomato (bigger than a cherry tomato) called a tomato berry. It's hard to tell from this picture, but it actually forms strawberry-shaped tomatoes.

Of course, it didn't last long.



I sliced it in half and shared with Andrew, and it was so sweet. I can't wait for more tomatoes to ripen.

Last Day of Spring

Blowing bubbles is one of Piper's favourite activities these days, and she is adamant that she can do it all by herself. It wasn't always that way - a few weeks ago, we would go outside and I would be the one doing all the bubble-blowing and she wanted to catch the bubbles. Then she wanted to hold the wand, but had no idea how to make bubbles... so it was still me doing all the heavy breathing. Then Piper figured she had to blow on the wand, but more often than not, the wand ended up in her mouth (yuck!) But a few days ago, she and I were outside and all of a sudden, I realized she was blowing her own bubbles. I can't believe how fast she is growing up.

So Long, Bucket Seat

This is probably the last time you will ever see this scene: The infant bucket seat is about to be retired, and its successor, the snazzy pink number with the built-in cup holders, is right behind it. I will admit I will miss the ability to carry her into the house in the carrier when she would fall asleep, but she has definitely outgrown it.

Lazy Sunday

I posted this video on Facebook a few days ago, but I think it is worth posting again.  We still haven't managed Piper graduating to eating independently without everything ending up in her hair.  Especially yogurt.  And spaghetti sauce.