Artist Spotlight

Our friend--Artist, Runner, Chef Extraordinaire, Honorary Uncle--Kam Shun Lee has some of his artwork on display for the next month at the Cleveland State Main Art Gallery. [ information if you might want to check it out in person.]

Kam standing next to one of his paintings

We headed down to the opening reception Friday night. These picture do not do them justice [The colors are very intense and of course these things are HUGE!] I didn't have a camera, and so I am using some that our friends took. Needless to say, those same friends were enjoying the open wine bar!

Proof that we were there

My Favorite

Do you feel like a walk in the woods yet?

Crazy Eights Meme

My cousin-in-law, Mrs. Spock, tagged me on this Meme. The rules say I must mention the person that tagged me. I have to complete the list of 8's. And, I am supposed to tag 8 bloggers and tell them I tagged them.

8 Things I Am Looking Forward To:

1. Heading out to Tahoe for the Family 'Race'cation.
2. Making some serious headway on my patio and retaining wall project.
3. Chase's last day of school for the year. Things will be less stressful in the mornings!
4. Fresh, homegrown tomatoes this summer.
5. My sister coming to Ohio for a month long vacation! [I miss her tons!]
6. My Aunt and cousin coming for a visit. [I hope this will happen this summer!]
7. Lots of playing outside this summer.
8. Nectarines to be in season [I can't find any- anywhere.]

8 Things I Did Yesterday:

1. Dropped Chase off at school.
2. Went to work.
3. Saw a horrible car accident.
4. Sat in traffic for a very long time.
5. Missed my exit and had to go WAY out of my way.
6. Let Chase sleep all night on the couch
7. Watched the Cav's win. [Did I mention that I am NOT a basketball fan???]
8. Had my sleep interrupted when both girls decided that they were parched. [I never wake up crying and thirsty. They both do. And promptly fall back asleep after taking a few sips. I did not fall back asleep promptly.]

8 Things I Wish I Could Do:

1. Keep ahead of the laundry.
2. Keep ahead of the dishes.
3. Be more organized at home.
4. Throw away the hundreds [I am not exaggerating] of running shoes that Mark is saving.
5. Do plumbing and electrical
6. Have hair that is styled but takes no effort to do [does such a thing exist?]
7. Have my children fall asleep easily and stay asleep.
8. Ease Chase's social anxiety issues.

8 Shows I Watch [on the rare occasion I get the chance]:

1. Mystery Diagnosis
2. Little People, Big World
3. Deliver Me
4. Wizards of Waverly Place
5. Phineas and Ferb
6. House
7. American Idol
8. Biggest Loser


8 Favorite Fruits:

1. Cherries
2. Strawberries
3. Nectarines
4. Blackberries
5. Blueberries
6. Raspberries
7. Apples
8. Oranges

8 Places I'd Like to Travel:

1. Egypt
2. Calgary/Alberta
3. New Zealand
4. Australia
5. Great Wall of China
6. Hawaii
7. Italy
8. Peru

8 Places I've Lived

1. Bainbridge, OH
2. Mantua, OH
3. Oxford, OH
4. Hiram, OH
5. Chagrin Fall, OH
6. Streetsboro, OH
7. Aurora, OH
8. n/a


I am not much of a tagger. If you would like to share some Crazy 8's, consider yourself tagged.

I am not a basketball fan...

And yet I was glued to the Television last night watching... basketball. The Cavs, my local team, is determined to give me a heart attack, or at minimum, high blood pressure. [I'm not even sure why I care so much. Perhaps it is the need for Cleveland to be good at SOMETHING. We just get such a bad rap most of the time. And I actually like it around here most of the time... granted I am significantly OUTSIDE of the city.]

They have not figured out how to hang on to a lead.

They have met their match.

And I have that groggy, 'I stayed up past midnight on a school night' feeling today. Without even the high of having seen a win.

Sigh. [I feel like I have been doing that a lot lately.]

The Long and Winding Weekend

How do the ladies spend a long weekend? We seemed to fill most of our hours with ease.

Saturday included wings at Buffalo Wild Wings and a trip to the Hope Depot for some Paver Base [for my patio improvement project.] A plus to this trip was that the Blossom Time Balloons were landing in the Home Depot/Target Parking lot and the golf course across the street. This one is our favorite.


Sunday was jam packed. We went to the Blossom Time parade,


BlossomFestival for some lemonade and cotton candy, [Ellis also rode the Carousel on a HORSE for the first time - but the camera battery died at the beginning of the parade. Sigh. No record.]


and a cookout at my Mom's.


We had a sleepover at my Mom's and had a tasty breakfast [Chase's requested Menu] of French Toast and Bacon. And then just hung out for the day.

Overall, just plain fun.

Happy Memorial Day!

Running Widow

Once again, I am a running widow.

My husband has gone to Camp.

No. Not camping. [well, there will be some camping.... but...]

Camp.

Running Camp.

Where adults go run around in the woods for long distances and sleep in sleeping bags and supposedly get better at what they do.

One the plus side, I get a week off from giant piles of laundry and cooking.

The down side. Can you imagine what the laundry will look like when he gets back? A week of living in the woods and being sweaty.

Something to look forward to...

Dishing it up

It's been a while since I did a menu blog. Never fear, I have been feeding my family, I just have not been a super motivated blogger these days.

Monday
Peanut Pad Thai with Chicken and Tofu
Salad

Tuesday
(Mark picked up Chipotle and we did "catch as catch can." There were Banana Cheerios. Pink Grapefruit and Homemade Banana Rice Pudding with Whipped Cream

Banana Rice Pudding
3 cups skim milk
1 cup short-grain rice
3 banana -- mashed
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 1/2 tablespoons brown sugar ( I used plain white sugar, but Tripled it [and it wasn't that sweet even then] and added cinnamon)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Mix all ingredients well and pour into 1 1/2 quart casserole.
3. Bake for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally, until rice is tender.

Wednesday
Rotisserie Chicken
Rice Pilaf
Salad

Thursday
Tilapia
Loaded Baked Potatoes (Broccoli, Cauliflower, and Cheese)
Cheesy Ciabatta Bread
Salad
Fruit Salad

Friday
Mini Toasted Bagels Sandwiches with Honey Turkey, Baby Swiss and mustard.
[Such a hit at lunch, we decided to have them again for dinner.]

Nemesis

nem·e·sis (nm-ss)

n. pl. nem·e·ses (-sz)

1. A source of harm or ruin: Uncritical trust is my nemesis.

2. An opponent that cannot be beaten or overcome.

3. One that inflicts retribution or vengeance.

4. Nemesis Greek Mythology The goddess of retributive justice or vengeance.

Why do I have the definition here? Because I wanted to know the plural of Nemesis--and now I want to enlighten you.

I have more than one Nemesis, you see (def. 1 and 2). Or perhaps I have just attracted the attention of number 4- and her method runs to laundry, dishes, and lawn mowing. Either way...

I can spend hours and days cleaning and organizing. I can get totally caught up. And you know what? All it takes to undo all this effort? One days worth of wet running cloths, or one wet bed. One dinner cooked in the kitchen. One spark plug.

This past week the Nemesis's retribution came in the form of a non-functioning spark plug. No trick could get it started. My dad came to help, but I didn't have the right size deep socket wrench or a spark plug. Another day, another helper- he brought tools but didn't have the right ones. A third day- the right tools and a little patience, and Voilà! A working lawn mower.

Thank goodness. My grass was getting a little unwieldy. The Weed and Feed really got the grass growing. [I am still suspicious about its efforts with the weeds.]

ANYWAY. The grass is cut. And now the grumpy neighbor can go back to being grumpy about something else, like the volume of my recycling. I cleaned out the pantry and refrigerator, so truth be told, so she just might have a legitimate complaint. HAH.

Foggy

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This was created by MckMama. You can head over to her blog to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week.



I might be a little foggy on the things that I did or did not do this week. I have been downright tired and walking around in a haze.

I did not get my first mosquito bit of the season above my eyebrow and did not scratch it and it did not start bleeding like crazy. I did not notice it and my husband did not ask me "What in the world is wrong with your face?" and I was not insulted and ask "What are you talking about?" only to reach up and feel a stream of blood running down my cheek.

I did not let my daughter wear the same long sleeve shirt 3 days in a row [day and night] and just freshen it up by switching out different short sleeve shirts on top. That would also mean that I let her skip a bath 3 days in a row, and that would just be gross. Right?

I did not take my camera to the running club picnic intending to get all kinds of pictures of the club and all the kids playing-- only to discover that the battery was at home charging.

I did not spend over an hour researching lawnmower spark plugs on the Internet and not finding the info I needed, only to have my dad find the info in about 5 minutes. And then to top it off discover that the part number was readable on the lawnmower the whole time, too.

Serve and Protect

Ever get the impression that you have somehow given your children the wrong idea about something? Or they got an idea into their little heads and won't listen to reality?

Tonight, upon arriving home, I had to hop out of the car to move Chase's bike out of my way in order to park in the garage. As I was doing this, she unbuckled herself. Came out my door. But first she decided to lock the door. And so she locked her sister, buckled into her car seat, in a running car. We do not have a spare set of keys. Haven't for years. Mommy was more than a little livid. [But amazingly didn't raise my voice. And believe me I wanted to.]

I went inside to get the phone and look up the non-emergency police number. I told Chase that I needed to call them to rescue Ellis from the car because we don't have a spare key. Chase started shrieking, crying, and yelling at me.

"Don't call them. I won't ever do it again. I don't want to go to jail. They will put me away FOREVER!"

I tried to explain that they were not going to arrest anyone. That I wanted them to come and HELP us.

She did not believe me for a second.

I went to the driveway to wait with Ellis. She was hysterical and MAD. She didn't understand why no one was unbuckling her from her car seat and letting her out. She was yelling at me to OPEN THE DOOR. I asked her if she could do Houdini Baby [she has a talent for getting out of her car seat. She sucks her tiny belly in, contorts her shoulders and can wiggle up and out. I have spent MONTHS getting her to NOT do this maneuver. I am sure that she was utterly confused at my telling her to do this.] She managed to wiggle her arms out the top, but her hips were tight in the car seat. She leaned forward and was able to lean forward and press the button to roll down the window [thank goodness the window lock was not on-- since it often is.] I was able to get my arm in to the opening and unlock the door.

I called the police to let them know that I got her out of the car and that everything was okay. It was a good thing they didn't show up. They would have seen Chase banging on the upstairs bedroom window wailing and yelling "Don't take me to Jail. I promise to be a good girl." and I fear that this might make them question what I was telling my daughter.

I guess we need to do a little more time on "Serve and Protect."

[Although I hope we also learned the lesson that it is not a game to lock the doors on the car... something that she thinks is funny if she is in the car... she didn't think it all the way through to what would happen if no one was in the car to unlock it... ]

Sigh.

And You Thought...

That Flat Irons were just for hair!

This little item is just so multifaceted!

Not only have I used it to iron Mark's dress shirts and ties. Iron sashes on my little girl's dresses.

I used it today for BOOK RESTORATION!

Chase brought her book order home from school today. Along with an OPEN juice box. Some nice, soggy and wrinkly books.

After attempting to blow dry the books, they were still damp and even more wrinkly. So, for lack of a better idea, I used my Wet to Dry flat iron. And I got nice dry and flat pages! [Although the juice stains browned a little around the edges. Overall, much better than expected! Camera battery needs charging, maybe I can add some pictures later.]

So don't underestimate this little item. Yes, it can tame the crazy hair...

But it can do so much more.

Let me know if you have used a flat iron for something other than it's intended use and how it worked out! I suspect that I have only touched the tip of the iceberg.

Belated

On Mother's Day, I stopped out to visit with my beautiful Grandma.* I am so lucky to have her in my life!


E: "I Seeee you Gwandma Shirley!**"



**Look how small and far away she looks--miles away for sure... Ellis would not have made the best pirate lookout!


* Chase refused to be in the picture, and it was super windy and 50 degrees. There was a picture that I liked better... except for the fact Ellis had pulled my sweater open. Wardrobe malfunction!

Ice and Lights

Yesterday afternoon my head froze into position. No known injury. No known cause. I just cannot move my head without SEVERE pain. I have been icing it today and that seems to be helping--a wee bit.

Really put a crink into me getting things done [sorry about the pun.]

On my list of errands? One that I have been putting off for awhile. Must be done or she cannot participate in Field Day. New tennis shoes for Chase. She HATES shoe shopping. She is one of the most uncooperative shoe shoppers. Ever.

So today after school, I scooted over to the outlets [a plus that they are across from the school.] Dragged a whining and complaining Chase into the store. [There was some actual DRAGGING.] And then she saw THE SHOES. They were the ONES. They had a pair in a half size too big. She tried them on, proved to me that she could run in them without them falling off or her tripping and falling on her face. I said fine. And we were out the door in 5 minutes.

I am not sure that I would have gone for these on a day that I wasn't in severe pain... they are a bit over the top... how you ask? This picture does not do them justice. They light up. In rainbow colors.

Oh my!

Say What?

I did not spend a good chunk of my Mother's day washing, folding and putting away LAUNDRY. That would be ridiculous. I'm sure it could have waited until Monday, or NOT. [Laundry knows no holiday.] And I would not have felt totally happy and relieved when it was done and put away.

I would not have cooked my own Mother's Day dinner--by choice. If the husband offered to take me out for dinner, I would have totally taken him up on it, right? There is no way that I would rather have had a roast cooking in the oven for hours, and yummy carrots and potatoes cooked right in the pot. [And I am so not totally psyched that there are enough leftovers for my lunch!]

I did not find it impossible to sleep last night because the back of my knees itched so badly. And they would not be itching because I have POISON IVY. I would not be totally perplexed because, it has not been over a week since I did any yard work, and I find blaming the cat a little hard, because the ONLY place I have it is behind BOTH my knees.

Go over and check out what McMamma and all the other Not Me'ers have been up to this week.

Loot

Here is my stash of Mother's Day Goodies. Chase got crafty at school and provided me with a scented paper flower bouquet, card and hand-print artwork. And the Daddy and Ellis picked out this Bonsai tree. Although discussions are underway already about how to make it actually look like a [stereotypical] Bonsai and not just a small bush [anyone schooled in the art of Bonsai?]

Mystery and Drama

If it seems like I dropped off the planet... I nearly did. Or at least if FEELS that way. My personal life has been riddled with MYSTERY and DRAMA. And I haven't processed enough of it to share it in any meaningful way.

No I did not forget. And I am now ready to add some MYSTERY and DRAMA to the lives of a few more people!

Congratulations to Heather! I am so excited to give Hanna the legacy of Nancy Drew! Especially since apparently Nancy saved her Grandma's life! Heather better tell us all about that someday!

And, Congratulations to Tammy [Comment #9!] She is the winner of the Amelia Peabody Mysteries. Tammy, leave a comment with your email address so I can contact you about getting you your prize!

And once you ladies get your prizes, I would LOVE to hear what you find to buy at Borders. I so LOVE a bookstore [and a library, and any book you want to give me...!]

So congrats. And Happy Mother's Day. I plan to spend a good chunk of mine curled up with a book!

Embracing My Inner Grump

Just thought I would let you know that I am a complete failure.

At least at suppressing my Inner Grump.

I had just one too many thing tossed at me today.

And I am not even sure how I am going to process it all.

So, I am giving my Inner Grump a hug and hoping that tomorrow is a little more promising.

Great American Grump Out

I challenge you to join me tomorrow for the Great American Grump out.

"The Grump Out asks sour pusses to suck it up and refrain from getting their grump on -- at least for 24 hours. That includes no grumping, no frowning, no grousing, complaining, punching, slapping, hitting or killing. FOR ONE WHOLE DAY. "*

I know that I am personally guilty of grumping, frowning, grousing and complaining [and if you have ever read this blog, you know it's true!] And guilty of WANTING to do the other.

This will not be easy [see, I am complaining already.] Especially since my day tomorrow includes a trip downtown to Rainbow Babies and Children's. [It is fun to drag two small children around large medical buildings/hospitals while the eldest complains and cries that she doesn't want to have any tests... Okay, complaining out of the way.] I may just have to be silent for the day. But I'm willing to give it a try.**

*Smile Mania
** You will note that they kind of give an out... the TONED down grump. I might be able to handle that.

Casualty

This afternoon, my carpet was a Conference Call Casualty. While mommy was trying to do some paying work, Chase decided to play Waitress.

She took a bowl of tomato soup off the kitchen counter. She took a glass of chocolate milk off the kitchen table. She put them both on a tray and decided to carry them into the living room.

Ellis came shrieking up the stairs. "Mommy, Chase spilled her food on the floor. ALL OF IT."

As I hold my hand over the receiver and walk down to the living room, I behold this:


It was probably a good thing that I was on a call and had to remain calm and quiet. I had another half hour before I could get off the call and deal with this mess.

Chase's only comment? "I was being careful. I REALLY was."

Ah huh.

Might Be

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival is hosted by MckMama. You can head over to her blog to read what she has not been doing this week. Because I am sure she is NOT happy to be home from Stellan's crazy, long, and scary hospital adventure!

I did not type this entry at 1:00AM because I cut my hand while mulching and woke to a throbbing, red and swollen hand. And I did not have to ransack the kitchen and two bathrooms to find one tube of antibiotic cream. [And I would not know for a fact that I have SEVERAL tubes, and I would not be wondering where in the world they could be.]

I did not get to sleep in to nearly 10:00AM on Sunday. And this would not have been the first time that happened in about 6 years! And I did not feel even slightly refreshed after this special treat.

I did not have the Nephrologist offer any corner of the exam room to me to use for a time out. Because there is no way that Ellis would have climbed into my lap and started hitting me in the face while I was trying to find out what our next step of testing will be for Chase. And I was not so humiliated that I started tearing up.

I am not totally excited about giving away a bit of mystery! And I was not totally honored to have my friend Heather shamelessly promote my blog more than once!

Well, of course there is a small and remote chance that these thing just might have happened...

Touched by History

Today is May 4. Many people, even those of you not from Ohio, may have heard of the Kent State Shootings on May 4, 1970. Four people were killed and nine injured when the Ohio National Guard fired into a crown of protesters [and hit some innocent bystanders, as well.]

I was not even a thought in my parents mind when this occurred, but I have my own personal connection to this piece of history.

While a grad student at Kent State, I worked as a student adviser for the Journalism and Mass Comm Department. My office overlooked THE HILL. Every day, I looked at the very place that the shooting occurred. And I had the pleasure of being a fellow student of Robbie Sparks- one of the nine wounded.

So, I can't help but pause and remember--and know that even though I won't be near the hill today, it will be blooming with thousands of daffodils. Because, despite these, and many other tragic and senseless deaths, we live in a country that offers MUCH hope. And MUCH freedom.

And it doesn't hurt to remember that!

Get Caught Reading

May is National Get Caught Reading month.

And I want to catch you reading!

I have decided to enter the blogosphere with my first give away! Along with each book set, I will also include a $10 Border's gift card.

Here's what's up for grabs:

To foster a love of mysteries--
a Nancy Drew Starter Kit.
Do you have a little girl and want to introduce her to the World's Greatest Girl Sleuth [Oh yes, I have a bias!]

16--count them 16! pristine hard back classic Nancy Drew's. Number's 1-6, 34-38 and 51-55.
[Never fear, my girls have these already!]



And for the more seasoned readers-- 3 gently used Amelia Peabody Mysteries. Set in the late 1900's, Amelia and her husband are archeologists in Egypt. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this series [I have a complete set] and anxiously await the latest.
Titles:
The Snake The Crocodile and the Dog
The Hippopotamus Pool
Seeing a Large Cat

So here's how we'll play-- leave a comment telling me what you are reading now [and I would love to hear if it is a good read or not!] and which book set you are interested in receiving. [you can play for one, or both] Mention my give away on your blog and sign Mr. Linky. I will choose random winners using Random.org and post the results next Friday! Good luck.

Can't wait to hear what is on your bedside table!

One of THOSE Nights

Oh, yeah.

Got to top off my stellar day with one of THOSE nights.

It started off okay.

Ellis informed me at 7:55 that she was tired and going to bed. She marched herself upstairs, put herself to bed and was asleep by 8:05.

So far, so good.

Then Chase informed me that she was not going to bed until it was NIGHTTIME. And REALLY DARK. I figured that would be soon enough. That lingering grayness held on until shortly after 9:00. Okay. Lets get her tushie in bed. But then DADDY got home. And we all know what that means. So it was 10:00 before I could get her into A BED. I was so tired that I dragged her to bed with ME. But then daddy came and TICKLED her. And she got wound up again. So she finally fell asleep around 11:00. [And in case anyone out there doesn't know- Chase is 6! And this was a school night.]

Fast forward to 3:00AM. A little voice cried out in the night "Mommy, I am thirsty." I took Ellis a drink and tried to get her to lay back down. But the cat thought we were having a party. So Ellis wanted to pet the cat and talk to me about how soft his ears are. Then she decides that she needs a potty break. It is now 4:00. She in now in MY bed. And she is thirsty again. And so is Chase. Drinks for everyone. Enter the cat. Another party. While I lay face down in between my daughters. With the cat laying on my back. It is now 5:00. Chase fell back to sleep. Ellis is telling me that she is hungry and it is time for breakfast. I give in and get her a bag of fruit snacks. She says she needs another potty break. It is now 6:00AM. Now we are all sleeping.

Fast forward to 7:00. The birds are chirping. The daddy is asking for coffee. The day begins.

I hope I can make it through this long day on that nice hour nap I got this morning.

I guarantee that the troops will fall asleep this afternoon on the way to see the specialist. I will have to wake them up and they will be beasts! *Sigh*