One:
"Girly" black cowboy boots
High heels
Extra lipstick (she doesn't have lipstick now)
Make up kit
Two:
2 year Muse subscription (her paternal grandmother gets a 1 year for her every year)
Pencils
Erasers
Black cowboy boots, "non-girly"
Origami supplies, including books with new animal patterns
"Bright perky" Zumbuddy (she got one for her sister for her birthday)
Snuggie
Owner of list number two also has a running commentary about which Christmas book she would like. The Christmas book appears on the end of their beds from their mom and dad every year. Owner of list two is also very much looking forward to the Christmas Eve pajamas. Owner of list one would like a bathrobe and slippers since her sister has those things. Who knows if they will get worn. (I've gotten the pajamas and slippers, but no robe yet).
I don't know what the fascination is with black cowboy boots, and I'm even less sure if I can get "girly" ones (I think that must mean it has sparkles or the like on it).
Friday, November 12, 2010
Monday, October 18, 2010
Six Years
Happy birthday to my amazing Sophia. I love your complicated personality. Fierce, fearless, stylish. You're only six and you have your rock moves.
Monday, September 06, 2010
Sophia
I wasn't here for this, but apparently Sophia was talking to Fiona and she said that some girls told her that God made them. She got this look on her face as if to say, "isn't that the craziest thing you've ever heard?". Then she said, "I told them it wasn't true; my mommy made me."
The first day of school went well for Fiona and it went well for Sophia, except for the part where I came for lunch to help and she had a hard time with me leaving. That was painful. They read a book the first week of school called The Kissing Hand, by Audrey Penn. When I left the cafeteria, Sophia was inconsolable and I was barely holding it together. Sophia's teacher told her I would kiss the palm of Sophia's hand so she could have my kiss, and Sophia would kiss the palm of my hand so I would have hers.
Two weeks later, her teacher tells me that Sophia will be sitting in class, working, and occasionally brings the palm of her hand to her cheek for my kiss.
Monday, August 16, 2010
A Review of Summer
This has been the summer of origami. My nightstand is covered with various animals. Origami has spread to the kids' grandparents' house, their cousin's house, and Triana's house. Doug's work colleagues are also the recipient of Fiona's origami creations. Sophia is starting to take an interest, too. It's great to see them so focused on something creative like this...as my dad said, the origami are like Tribbles. They are in everything at this point.
(Lunchbox of tribbles. I mean origami.)
The kids had some week long classes in June: Fiona had origami (her fascination started way before the class), a cooking class, a science class, and an engineering class. Sophia's age group had fewer choices, but she took a class about bugs. They seemed to have a good time.
There was lots of swimming this summer, but no formal swimming lessons. We made a trip to the zoo to meet friends, which was fabulous, but ended with us all drenched in sweat. It is too hot to do much of anything during the day. Most swimming is done in the evening.
School starts next week, which is leaving me with mixed feelings. On the one hand, school! They should have fun and they'll be with other kids (so far, this is a good thing). On the other hand, who will I play with? I would love a job, but it would have to be something that leaves me here in the afternoon when they get home, and would hopefully involve me having some free time on the weekend. In the meantime, there is plenty to work on in the house. I could paint any room, for a start. The kids' bathroom not only needs updating, it needs the paint/peeling wallpaper to come off. I need to get out of the house, though, or I will rave. I'm sure there is volunteer work I can do somewhere (definitely at their school).
Monday, February 01, 2010
February 2, 2002
Fiona turns EIGHT tomorrow! She had a slumber party with three friends (only two stayed the night, though). They seemed to have a great time.
It was actually a great party. Fiona has great friends. Thank goodness!
I can't believe it's been 8 years. I feel like this picture is not that old, but it also seems so long ago, because she looks so different and is so different now! She used to be a quiet, clingy baby who I could not put down. She did not walk until she was 17 months. At playgroups, she would sit and observe. Now? Now she's off to slumber parties, is so talkative that she sometimes has to write in the "behavior book" in her class (ahem), and is quite independent. It's been so amazing watching her grow and develop into such an interesting person. One moment, you're nursing your baby in the middle of the night, wondering if there will be no end to this (there is, obviously, but it sometimes does not feel like it at the time) and the next they're begging to spend the night at a friend's house. The whole night away from you and they're relishing the idea. It's a cliche that the days are long and the years are short, but it is so true.
It was actually a great party. Fiona has great friends. Thank goodness!
I can't believe it's been 8 years. I feel like this picture is not that old, but it also seems so long ago, because she looks so different and is so different now! She used to be a quiet, clingy baby who I could not put down. She did not walk until she was 17 months. At playgroups, she would sit and observe. Now? Now she's off to slumber parties, is so talkative that she sometimes has to write in the "behavior book" in her class (ahem), and is quite independent. It's been so amazing watching her grow and develop into such an interesting person. One moment, you're nursing your baby in the middle of the night, wondering if there will be no end to this (there is, obviously, but it sometimes does not feel like it at the time) and the next they're begging to spend the night at a friend's house. The whole night away from you and they're relishing the idea. It's a cliche that the days are long and the years are short, but it is so true.
Friday, January 08, 2010
Now is the Moon's Eyebrow
I may have previously mentioned, that one Christmas tradition my parents did for us during our childhood was to place a book at the end of our bed (wrapped) so that we could open it first thing in the morning (and I do mean first thing). This was the book I got in 1988. I loved it then and I love it now. The whole book is based on bizarre nonsensical (some are rather poetic, some are just gloriously silly) questions like, "What is the difference between reality and a idea? Reality is what a person thinks who cannot remember." or "What is the difference between the moon and a needle and thread? The needle and thread are older." Each question and answer is accompanied by a whimsical illustration.
Ra Ra Ra...Smile!
Sophia and I are hanging out this afternoon with new batteries in her camera. She's mostly interested in how the camera operates right now. I just taught her how to delete the pictures. Here are some that missed the axe:
Fiona had to write in the conduct book again. This time it was for throwing paper airplanes in the classroom while her teacher was out. She places a lot of the blame on C--C had all the planes in his desk, and he started it, etc etc (different C, but still a boy), but knows what she did was wrong and can't really answer why she did it--she just gets this bemused expression on her face. SIGH. In fact, it didn't even end up on her homework sheet that I sign because she came up to me in the classroom as I was leaving. I was there volunteering, saying my goodbyes to her teacher and Fiona marched up and launched into her conduct book story. Her teacher looked amused. We're going in Wednesday for a PT conference to--I'm sure talk about her behavior, which honestly seems mostly good, except when it's not--but also to revisit testing for the GT program.
Sophia came home from school ravenous despite just having eaten most of her lunch (I usually pick her up right after lunch). She ate a bowl of my granola! I don't think she's ever eaten my granola. She ate a whole bowl of that WITH yogurt. She hasn't eaten yogurt in ages.
It was cold enough this morning (upper 20s!) that I caught myself looking for my snow boots. Yeah, those are long gone. I know this is NOT really cold, but since we have crappy windows the cold just blasts through. People have trash bags and sheets all over their yards (to protect plants from freezing). Looks great.
I got hooked on some new (to me) songs over the Christmas break and here is one that Sophia also likes immensely. She calls it the "Ra Ra Ra" song.
Right now Sophia is reading The Pigeon Wants a Puppy out loud. I mean out LOUD. With inflections. I'll try to catch it later on video; it's entertaining.
One of Fiona's new favorite songs now is this (thanks, Alex!):
I should point out they don't watch the video, only hear the song.
Fiona had to write in the conduct book again. This time it was for throwing paper airplanes in the classroom while her teacher was out. She places a lot of the blame on C--C had all the planes in his desk, and he started it, etc etc (different C, but still a boy), but knows what she did was wrong and can't really answer why she did it--she just gets this bemused expression on her face. SIGH. In fact, it didn't even end up on her homework sheet that I sign because she came up to me in the classroom as I was leaving. I was there volunteering, saying my goodbyes to her teacher and Fiona marched up and launched into her conduct book story. Her teacher looked amused. We're going in Wednesday for a PT conference to--I'm sure talk about her behavior, which honestly seems mostly good, except when it's not--but also to revisit testing for the GT program.
Sophia came home from school ravenous despite just having eaten most of her lunch (I usually pick her up right after lunch). She ate a bowl of my granola! I don't think she's ever eaten my granola. She ate a whole bowl of that WITH yogurt. She hasn't eaten yogurt in ages.
It was cold enough this morning (upper 20s!) that I caught myself looking for my snow boots. Yeah, those are long gone. I know this is NOT really cold, but since we have crappy windows the cold just blasts through. People have trash bags and sheets all over their yards (to protect plants from freezing). Looks great.
I got hooked on some new (to me) songs over the Christmas break and here is one that Sophia also likes immensely. She calls it the "Ra Ra Ra" song.
Right now Sophia is reading The Pigeon Wants a Puppy out loud. I mean out LOUD. With inflections. I'll try to catch it later on video; it's entertaining.
One of Fiona's new favorite songs now is this (thanks, Alex!):
I should point out they don't watch the video, only hear the song.
Tuesday, January 05, 2010
Bad Boy Influence
I guess I have acclimated to winter in Texas because it's about 46F right now and it feels COLD. However, the sun is brightly shining, so it's not so bad. We're supposed to get a hard freeze Thursday night and Friday night, so that will kill off anything that survived in the garden from the last freeze. Hopefully, this means fewer mosquitoes next summer. Sophia came home exclaiming that her teacher said we were getting snow tomorrow. There doesn't seem to be anything like that in the forecast, however. This is not a problem for me.
Fiona got off the bus yesterday looking happy and then very serious as she said, "Can I show you something before we go inside?". Then she shows me the page I have to sign every day that has her homework assignment and things to remember for the next day. Her teacher said that Fiona had been acting very silly in class today and was influenced by C (a new boy)--please talk to her. First of all, I was relieved it wasn't something worse. Fiona acting very silly in class is a problem we've had to address off and on during the years and it is gradually getting better. So we did talk about it. She said, "But MOM! I'ts C's fault! C is so silly and he makes me laugh so hard! I can not help it." She has been talking about C for a while now. She loves people who make her laugh. Hopefully, today goes better. She did say that when I met her at the bus stop, I looked so happy and "smiley" that she felt "really bad" about telling me her bad news (when she is silly or talkative or not following directions, etc, she gets written up in the "conduct book"). She is very forthcoming about the conduct book. She never hides it. It's quite remarkable. I'm not sure if it's the age or her personality or both. She's not going to sit next to C in groups and will keep the silliness to recess. She asked me if she and C could still be friends. Oh, Fiona.
On that note, though, our school (or at least her teachers) don't have any scheduled parent/teacher conferences during the year. I'm going to schedule one (for both girls) just to make sure I really know what's going on. The work that comes home looks good and Sophia is improving with reading and writing and Fiona's grades are great. I would like to try to get Fiona in the gifted/talented program, but it's a little tricky. Her teacher thinks she is more "high achieving" than gifted/talented, but said she would watch her during the year. The books that Fiona reads at school are easier than the ones she reads at home. All the other subjects seem pretty much at her level and she excels in those subjects. It's possible I don't really know what the gifted/talented program is really about. They test kids for the program in kindergarten. Obviously, we missed that since we just moved here. If it's just a matter of testing her, then I don't see why we shouldn't.
I don't have any pictures from today, so here, completely out of context, are pictures from last Halloween, which we had a lot of fun with.
Monday, January 04, 2010
Books and Hips
Sophia survived her day at school and Fiona got off to school without a hitch (but will be glad when school has regular hours tomorrow). I just have to make sure we do violin practice this afternoon! Bonus points if we can practice a little more before bedtime.
Fiona has started reading The Chronicles of Narnia and has already finished The Magician's Nephew. The strictly-reading-about-dinosaurs phase has ended (or maybe it has just been added on to, because her auntie Alex got her a huge encyclopedia on dinosaurs) and we are back to fiction! She read a cool version of the Frog Princess on our way up to Denton, and finished two of her three Christmas books (still working on The Saturdays). Travels of Thelonious was a HUGE hit (I knew it would be, and that was the book at the end of the bed). She also loved the Moomintroll book, and is asking for more. Actually, she's asking for more of both. Happily, we have a birthday coming up. Oh yeah, the slumber party. Groan. Now if she would only read The Hobbit, which she got for Christmas last year. I don't know what I was thinking then. I should have waited a couple of years on that one. What I should do is read it TO her.
Oh, and the "book at the end of the bed" is a Christmas tradition I got from my parents. Every Christmas morning, there is a book wrapped at the end of the bed signed by the parents with the date. In my case, it was always this amazing book. Sometimes I got cookbooks! I still have most, maybe all, of those books.
Here is Fiona with the head of some LEGO dinosaur. I forgot that the eyes light up. She did the Stegosaurus last. She was slightly annoyed with the construction saying that the feet were incorrect. She has taken to spouting out random facts--but I have no idea if they are really facts. For instance, while we were waiting for the bus, there were 3 large black birds in our pine trees and the neighbors' trees. Fiona said they were crows (maybe they were). Then she went on to tell me that crows and owls are enemies and said something about the crows pecking the owls in the morning (???). She seemed uncertain about that last part when I asked her to clarify, but was adamant that crows and owls are enemies. (Speaking of owls, we love Owly, which you can probably get at the library. Props to Triana for introducing us!)
Did I mention Sophia has started sucking her thumb again? It's even worse than ever. She tells me how much she likes it, especially when she goes to bed. Exasperating as it is, I can also really, really understand, because I did the same thing and I did it for a long time (until I was seven). It was so comforting! It's hell on the teeth, though. I was at least hoping it would help her cope better with situations she feels uncertain of (drop off at school, talking to people, being asked questions, being around new kids...) but I am not sure that it is helping. Maybe I just can't see it.
I feel a strong urge to nap now, and maybe I should take it so I can be ready for encouraging Fiona to practice. That can be so draining. Especially if we HAVEN'T been practicing; then she gets really frustrated during practice (and then I get really frustrated). She really has come a long way since we started in July. Maybe it would help her to see me practice the piano, which is something I should really do (and it's enjoyable once I'm there...sort of like exercise). Then it's either dinner prep time or yoga time! I should prep dinner first. I've been biking, but I think my thighs would like a respite today.
Two amusing things: As Fiona was watching Ellen Aim open yet another MOVIE present at Christmas, she asked why Ellen didn't get any real presents. She said this with a look of stern disapproval on her face (mixed with bewilderment).
Ellen also appeared one evening wearing this shirt, which I love and probably need at least two of. Both girls loved the shirt as well. Sophia stared at the cut out in the top of the shirt and said, "I can see your HIPS". Sobo remarked to Ellen dryly, "I don't think she means your hips".
Fiona has started reading The Chronicles of Narnia and has already finished The Magician's Nephew. The strictly-reading-about-dinosaurs phase has ended (or maybe it has just been added on to, because her auntie Alex got her a huge encyclopedia on dinosaurs) and we are back to fiction! She read a cool version of the Frog Princess on our way up to Denton, and finished two of her three Christmas books (still working on The Saturdays). Travels of Thelonious was a HUGE hit (I knew it would be, and that was the book at the end of the bed). She also loved the Moomintroll book, and is asking for more. Actually, she's asking for more of both. Happily, we have a birthday coming up. Oh yeah, the slumber party. Groan. Now if she would only read The Hobbit, which she got for Christmas last year. I don't know what I was thinking then. I should have waited a couple of years on that one. What I should do is read it TO her.
Oh, and the "book at the end of the bed" is a Christmas tradition I got from my parents. Every Christmas morning, there is a book wrapped at the end of the bed signed by the parents with the date. In my case, it was always this amazing book. Sometimes I got cookbooks! I still have most, maybe all, of those books.
Here is Fiona with the head of some LEGO dinosaur. I forgot that the eyes light up. She did the Stegosaurus last. She was slightly annoyed with the construction saying that the feet were incorrect. She has taken to spouting out random facts--but I have no idea if they are really facts. For instance, while we were waiting for the bus, there were 3 large black birds in our pine trees and the neighbors' trees. Fiona said they were crows (maybe they were). Then she went on to tell me that crows and owls are enemies and said something about the crows pecking the owls in the morning (???). She seemed uncertain about that last part when I asked her to clarify, but was adamant that crows and owls are enemies. (Speaking of owls, we love Owly, which you can probably get at the library. Props to Triana for introducing us!)
Did I mention Sophia has started sucking her thumb again? It's even worse than ever. She tells me how much she likes it, especially when she goes to bed. Exasperating as it is, I can also really, really understand, because I did the same thing and I did it for a long time (until I was seven). It was so comforting! It's hell on the teeth, though. I was at least hoping it would help her cope better with situations she feels uncertain of (drop off at school, talking to people, being asked questions, being around new kids...) but I am not sure that it is helping. Maybe I just can't see it.
I feel a strong urge to nap now, and maybe I should take it so I can be ready for encouraging Fiona to practice. That can be so draining. Especially if we HAVEN'T been practicing; then she gets really frustrated during practice (and then I get really frustrated). She really has come a long way since we started in July. Maybe it would help her to see me practice the piano, which is something I should really do (and it's enjoyable once I'm there...sort of like exercise). Then it's either dinner prep time or yoga time! I should prep dinner first. I've been biking, but I think my thighs would like a respite today.
Two amusing things: As Fiona was watching Ellen Aim open yet another MOVIE present at Christmas, she asked why Ellen didn't get any real presents. She said this with a look of stern disapproval on her face (mixed with bewilderment).
Ellen also appeared one evening wearing this shirt, which I love and probably need at least two of. Both girls loved the shirt as well. Sophia stared at the cut out in the top of the shirt and said, "I can see your HIPS". Sobo remarked to Ellen dryly, "I don't think she means your hips".
Sunday, January 03, 2010
Happy New Year!
I spent the last two weeks in little D (otherwise known as Denton, the Home of Happiness). The kids had big fun with their grandparents and both aunties (on my side of the family). I actually went out on New Year's Eve to see ODIS with Alex and Ellen Aim. It was fabulous. I even danced in public (shudder).
The kids had a great first Christmas in Texas (We even got snow on Christmas Eve! Snow that didn't melt right away! Actual, big fluffy flakes! That hasn't happened since the early 1900s).
I also got to see a movie! We saw Sherlock Holmes, which was pretty silly, but a lot of fun. Favorite line: "You do realize what you're drinking is meant for eye surgery?" Also something about a package. This was a theater with wine, which helped. We may or may not have high fived during a few of the lines. It was that kind of movie.
Now it's a new year and tomorrow the kids go back to school. Fiona's school starts two hours later than usual, which will make things extra awkward tomorrow. I am not even 100% sure Sophia HAS school tomorrow. I guess I will find that out soon enough. She missed the last two days of school because she had a slight fever, but mostly because she was just obviously not feeling well. She has already asked me today if I will "pick her up early". This means I would pick her up at noon. She used to go all day, but they have this crazy long rest time at the school (from about 11:30 to about 2:30) and it totally screws up her bedtime. So I pick her up at noon when I can (I can't on Wednesdays and Thursdays). Honestly, I am sort of tempted to just take her out of school this year except that she IS picking up reading and writing and interacting with other kids. I miss last year when she would NOT want to come home with me and wanted to play a little longer. It was occasionally exasperating, of course, but by FAR preferable to going out of resignation. Sophia is also going through this DARLING phase of testing limits (the sequel and top volume version) and being absolutely defiant. Tell her she can't do something? "I am going to do it anyway!" She literally laughs at any discipline. I honestly have grey hairs coming in now. I've stopped counting them.
I have been a terrible parent in terms of Fiona's violin practice (I do it with her and I just haven't on this "vacation"). Hopefully, Wednesday's lesson is not too painful (I go with her, which is why Sophia has a long day at school Wednesday). Fiona's birthday is coming up (2/2!) and she will be eight. Eight! She is pushing hard for a slumber party. She wants a handful of girls (about 5, I think) and I want ONE. Still not sure what to do about that. She did attend her first slumber party last fall and it went extremely well, but the mother certainly did not get any sleep (neither did the girls, of course). I've been volunteering in Fiona's class (one of them, anyway...she has two teachers) on Thursdays in the early afternoon. I love doing this, because then I get to meet the other kids in her class. I still feel lost at Sophia's school, but it is getting a little better because she's been invited to a few birthday parties.
Now that it's time to get back into some sort of schedule, I'm actually making some loose "resolutions", which I don't usually do (if I want to do something, I just do it). Maybe making it a more formal declaration will help. I'm back to exercising, which is fun to do with Sophia there because she will really bust out some great dance moves. That girl can dance. I am going to try to write something every day. Hopefully, here. Facebook does not count. But if not here, somewhere. I am also going to venture into Houston once a week (probably that Wednesday) because I am tired of the weak produce at HEB. HEB can be great, but this one near our house is so-so. It's sort of like Shaw's produce at our former home. Pretty good, but the co-op had fresher. I think it's worth the trip to Whole Foods or Central Market for fresh produce. Oh, and maybe some cheese.
The kids had a great first Christmas in Texas (We even got snow on Christmas Eve! Snow that didn't melt right away! Actual, big fluffy flakes! That hasn't happened since the early 1900s).
I also got to see a movie! We saw Sherlock Holmes, which was pretty silly, but a lot of fun. Favorite line: "You do realize what you're drinking is meant for eye surgery?" Also something about a package. This was a theater with wine, which helped. We may or may not have high fived during a few of the lines. It was that kind of movie.
Now it's a new year and tomorrow the kids go back to school. Fiona's school starts two hours later than usual, which will make things extra awkward tomorrow. I am not even 100% sure Sophia HAS school tomorrow. I guess I will find that out soon enough. She missed the last two days of school because she had a slight fever, but mostly because she was just obviously not feeling well. She has already asked me today if I will "pick her up early". This means I would pick her up at noon. She used to go all day, but they have this crazy long rest time at the school (from about 11:30 to about 2:30) and it totally screws up her bedtime. So I pick her up at noon when I can (I can't on Wednesdays and Thursdays). Honestly, I am sort of tempted to just take her out of school this year except that she IS picking up reading and writing and interacting with other kids. I miss last year when she would NOT want to come home with me and wanted to play a little longer. It was occasionally exasperating, of course, but by FAR preferable to going out of resignation. Sophia is also going through this DARLING phase of testing limits (the sequel and top volume version) and being absolutely defiant. Tell her she can't do something? "I am going to do it anyway!" She literally laughs at any discipline. I honestly have grey hairs coming in now. I've stopped counting them.
I have been a terrible parent in terms of Fiona's violin practice (I do it with her and I just haven't on this "vacation"). Hopefully, Wednesday's lesson is not too painful (I go with her, which is why Sophia has a long day at school Wednesday). Fiona's birthday is coming up (2/2!) and she will be eight. Eight! She is pushing hard for a slumber party. She wants a handful of girls (about 5, I think) and I want ONE. Still not sure what to do about that. She did attend her first slumber party last fall and it went extremely well, but the mother certainly did not get any sleep (neither did the girls, of course). I've been volunteering in Fiona's class (one of them, anyway...she has two teachers) on Thursdays in the early afternoon. I love doing this, because then I get to meet the other kids in her class. I still feel lost at Sophia's school, but it is getting a little better because she's been invited to a few birthday parties.
Now that it's time to get back into some sort of schedule, I'm actually making some loose "resolutions", which I don't usually do (if I want to do something, I just do it). Maybe making it a more formal declaration will help. I'm back to exercising, which is fun to do with Sophia there because she will really bust out some great dance moves. That girl can dance. I am going to try to write something every day. Hopefully, here. Facebook does not count. But if not here, somewhere. I am also going to venture into Houston once a week (probably that Wednesday) because I am tired of the weak produce at HEB. HEB can be great, but this one near our house is so-so. It's sort of like Shaw's produce at our former home. Pretty good, but the co-op had fresher. I think it's worth the trip to Whole Foods or Central Market for fresh produce. Oh, and maybe some cheese.
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Addendum to Boston and Seneca Falls
I didn't mean to leave you hanging on my mysterious symptom of having an extremely bitter taste after everything I ate. That is now gone and lasted about a week. I am pretty sure this happened because I ate pine nuts. What this article doesn't mention, besides why it happens (because nobody knows), is that, incredibly, the symptoms don't start right away. They can start one to three days after you've eaten them. In my case, salad with toasted pine nuts on a Monday or Tuesday (can't remember), symptoms on Thursday morning. This only happened to me--not to Doug. I don't know if my pine nuts came from China (most do). You can get them from Italy, but it sounds like they are harder to find. There seem to be no other ill effects. This is kind of a bummer, because I love pine nuts. I dislike that taste even more, though, so...I guess I will be looking for Italian pine nuts and see if that makes a difference. I've been eating pine nuts for years and this is the first time I've had anything like this happen!
Boston and Seneca Falls, Part Two
Sunday morning we had another delicious breakfast at John Morris Manor Bed and Breakfast. More fresh fruit, a similar egg dish to Saturday's, but with herbs, and a side of bacon, and divine French toast with an apple compote. Fresh, delicious. I had coffee instead of tea. Also delicious. Oh, and by the way, it's real tea you get to choose from. Not Lipton.
On the way back to Ellen Aim's apartment, this time yours truly doing the driving---and screaming---, we listened to more great music. I love road trips with my iPod. We actually had very similar playlists, but notable differences, so that was fun. New stuff (ODIS!) and old/"other" stuff (mostly the kind of stuff you don't admit to liking).
We managed to get home in one piece and then it was off to meet Ellen Aim's husband at the theater (huge) to see Paranormal Activity. Ellen Aim thoughtfully provided us with disposable coffee cups of a bit of limoncello. I drank it a little too quickly (I felt a little odd walking around with it--we're on the subway, by the way). I also needed to eat, so we loaded up on nachos and hot dogs at the theater. YUM. Unfortunately, I did not realize the whole movie was shot with a hand held video camera. I discovered, while watching the Blair Witch Project, that I get motion sickness watching movies like that. I missed the last 5 minutes of Blair Witch to go throw up in the bathroom. Nice. So I tried to stay in the theater with my eyes closed. Impossible. It looked like it might have been a bit creepy during the moments I came up for air. Can't say. I left with about 15-20 minutes to go. It's a short movie. I also couldn't find the way OUT of the theater, so I ended up walking queasily in front of the screen. Yep, nice! I survived and didn't get sick and we made it back home. I wish we had seen Zombieland! I was fine by the time I woke up at 4 AM for my flight/drive home.
I can't wait to visit again! I think I'll wait until spring or summer, though. I think Ellen Aim is probably already making use of the box o' winter gear I sent her.
On the way back to Ellen Aim's apartment, this time yours truly doing the driving---and screaming---, we listened to more great music. I love road trips with my iPod. We actually had very similar playlists, but notable differences, so that was fun. New stuff (ODIS!) and old/"other" stuff (mostly the kind of stuff you don't admit to liking).
We managed to get home in one piece and then it was off to meet Ellen Aim's husband at the theater (huge) to see Paranormal Activity. Ellen Aim thoughtfully provided us with disposable coffee cups of a bit of limoncello. I drank it a little too quickly (I felt a little odd walking around with it--we're on the subway, by the way). I also needed to eat, so we loaded up on nachos and hot dogs at the theater. YUM. Unfortunately, I did not realize the whole movie was shot with a hand held video camera. I discovered, while watching the Blair Witch Project, that I get motion sickness watching movies like that. I missed the last 5 minutes of Blair Witch to go throw up in the bathroom. Nice. So I tried to stay in the theater with my eyes closed. Impossible. It looked like it might have been a bit creepy during the moments I came up for air. Can't say. I left with about 15-20 minutes to go. It's a short movie. I also couldn't find the way OUT of the theater, so I ended up walking queasily in front of the screen. Yep, nice! I survived and didn't get sick and we made it back home. I wish we had seen Zombieland! I was fine by the time I woke up at 4 AM for my flight/drive home.
I can't wait to visit again! I think I'll wait until spring or summer, though. I think Ellen Aim is probably already making use of the box o' winter gear I sent her.
Intermission
Selections from our road trip playlist.
Sorry the sound is SO crappy on this Odis video. Just trust me it rocks and buy the album. I want to see them live!
OMG! They have this song on YouTube! This is NOT an easy song to get a hold of. This is my favorite song. Ever. Maybe.
HAHAHAHA! Oh, the videos of the 1980s. Nothing quite like them.
Of course, there is more, but that is a sampling.
Sorry the sound is SO crappy on this Odis video. Just trust me it rocks and buy the album. I want to see them live!
OMG! They have this song on YouTube! This is NOT an easy song to get a hold of. This is my favorite song. Ever. Maybe.
HAHAHAHA! Oh, the videos of the 1980s. Nothing quite like them.
Of course, there is more, but that is a sampling.
Boston and Seneca Falls, Part One
I spent the weekend before last in Boston and Seneca Falls, NY with my sister, Ellen Aim. I was lucky enough that JetBlue was the cheapest airfare I could find. I especially like JetBlue when I can go through the JFK airport. It's clean, the food is decent if overpriced, and there is free wifi. Plus, so far I've had pretty good luck with making connections and the planes leaving on time (it was late leaving JFK for Houston, but I had no connections to make and no children with me, so I didn't mind, but if I had had the kids with me...ugh!). I also like the TV sets on the back of each chair. Every now and then the sets don't work, so I wouldn't totally rely on those being there. You can still check one bag for free as long as it's under 50 pounds. There are also free chips and beverages. So, there is my plug for JetBlue.
I've been to Boston before, but driving down from Vermont. We've been to the aquarium a couple of times and the Italian district. It's totally different when you use the train/subway system and stay with someone who lives there (well, just outside of Boston, anyway). The subway system is nice (it would probably take me a while to figure it out) and I would LOVE to be able to not need a car. I hate driving in Boston. I don't like driving in Houston, and Dallas even less, but Boston? Boston is the worst. The city is great, the driving is terrifying.
So Thursday Ellen Aim and I went to a couple of her favorite pub spots. We went to Grendel's Den where they have half-price food from 5:30 to 7 PM. The beer is great (we had the Cambridge Ale), the food is...so-so. The pretzels were fine and the spinach/artichoke/snow crab dip was oookay, but we ordered some sort of Camembert dip (I remember it was supposed to have caraway seeds in it) that was orange. The light was dim. Perhaps it was pink. We tried to like it, but after eating half of it decided it "had grown off of us". I don't see it on the website menu at the moment. Still, the pub is worth a second try next time I visit! The butternut squash ravioli with sage and brown butter (damn, everyone makes that dish, but at least it is worthy of repetition) was perhaps a special as I don't see it on the menu. This was not bad at all. Oh yes, it had pecans. Lovely pecans. So definitely worth a second try.
After that, I am not sure what we did. There was walking around and hanging out at her apartment, visiting a cute little Japanese store, and so on. We ended up at John Harvard's. I didn't take notes and I don't see what we had on the menu. Figures. I think we had the Oktoberfest brews (excellent), but I also had some sort of special stout, which was malty and wonderful. I'd go back for the beer. The food was not as impressive. We had mozzarella sticks, which were dry and lukewarm. However, they were very generous with the sauce. I was exhausted at this point and we went home.
Then we went to Knapp Winery in Romulus (insert Star Trek joke here). Again, taste buds fail me here, but I will say putting pictures of cats on the label that look like they have been to the taxidermist is not a good marketing idea. There is a huge selection here. They have a whole category of "fruit" wines, which is really not my thing, but there it is. Neither of us cared for any of the wine we tasted (I will say you can taste anything they sell in your wine tasting--I can't remember how many wines you get to have in one tasting, but it's a significant amount). However, once we realized we could taste the limoncello or limencello, we had to try it. The lemoncello is quite good and Ellen Aim bought a bottle (wish I had, too). Next time I'll try the limencello. Maybe I'll even try the restaurant next time! This vineyard was very popular--it was full of people and cars when we arrived.
Our last vineyard stop was Americana Vineyards and Winery, where we went to last year.
We resolved to go again this year, because the food there is wonderful, and the Apparition wine (blend of Cayuga grapes) was a favorite. Really, this winery is the one to go to for wine made from Cayuga grapes. The Cayuga White is also very good. Clean, crisp, dry. The Apparition is a bit sweeter (not at all too much, mind you). The Finger Lakes region seems better suited to white wines in my very limited experience so far. The winery also had a tasting menu of blueberry wines, which we had to try. Avoid that. The best of those was the last item on the tasting menu, which was the dessert wine. That was okay.
Waiting for a table at lunch was a long 45 minutes or so.
It was worth the wait. Everything tastes fresh and in-house. The bread on the sandwiches is very classy. The menu was different than last year, so we couldn't get the little dish full of nibblies we had last year. I had a grilled chicken sandwich with arugula pesto and sweet potato fries (not soggy! crispy! delightful!) and Ellen Aim had pork chops with mashed red potatoes and kale. Oh, the kale was sort of disappointing. It had sliced carrots in it and what tasted like reduced apple cider in it. It was too sweet for me. I am noticing a trend here. It may not escape your notice I'm not a huge fan of sweet things. Really, I like sweet things. In moderation. It didn't help that when I ate sweet things, the bitter after taste in my mouth was at its worst. Perhaps the kale was just fine. Maybe Ellen Aim will weigh in. It was her dish, after all. The winery also sells fudge, which is delicious for a small bite. I really loved the coconut fudge.
The winery also has a very friendly adorable cat.
I was totally exhausted at this point (I am also predictable), so we went back to the inn. We decided not to venture out again into the depressing place that Seneca Falls is at night (we did find a liquor store...no Tuaca, but we got some Godiva liqueur). We put a disk of Supernatural in and ate some of the lovely Horseradish cheese with some leftover crackers in the car and called it a night. We had to eat in the living area instead of our room (completely understandable). Fortunately, the room was empty so we didn't have to share Supernatural with the other guests.
I've been to Boston before, but driving down from Vermont. We've been to the aquarium a couple of times and the Italian district. It's totally different when you use the train/subway system and stay with someone who lives there (well, just outside of Boston, anyway). The subway system is nice (it would probably take me a while to figure it out) and I would LOVE to be able to not need a car. I hate driving in Boston. I don't like driving in Houston, and Dallas even less, but Boston? Boston is the worst. The city is great, the driving is terrifying.
So Thursday Ellen Aim and I went to a couple of her favorite pub spots. We went to Grendel's Den where they have half-price food from 5:30 to 7 PM. The beer is great (we had the Cambridge Ale), the food is...so-so. The pretzels were fine and the spinach/artichoke/snow crab dip was oookay, but we ordered some sort of Camembert dip (I remember it was supposed to have caraway seeds in it) that was orange. The light was dim. Perhaps it was pink. We tried to like it, but after eating half of it decided it "had grown off of us". I don't see it on the website menu at the moment. Still, the pub is worth a second try next time I visit! The butternut squash ravioli with sage and brown butter (damn, everyone makes that dish, but at least it is worthy of repetition) was perhaps a special as I don't see it on the menu. This was not bad at all. Oh yes, it had pecans. Lovely pecans. So definitely worth a second try.
After that, I am not sure what we did. There was walking around and hanging out at her apartment, visiting a cute little Japanese store, and so on. We ended up at John Harvard's. I didn't take notes and I don't see what we had on the menu. Figures. I think we had the Oktoberfest brews (excellent), but I also had some sort of special stout, which was malty and wonderful. I'd go back for the beer. The food was not as impressive. We had mozzarella sticks, which were dry and lukewarm. However, they were very generous with the sauce. I was exhausted at this point and we went home. Friday! Time to drive out to Seneca Falls, where we stayed at John Morris Manor Bed and Breakfast. The breakfast here is absolutely wonderful. It's clean, it's cute, and I would absolutely stay here again. I love bed and breakfasts so much more than hotels! They do have two dogs, who are friendly, but also not shy. May not be the place for you if you are really not a dog person. It would be a shame to miss breakfast here, though. Seneca Falls, itself, however, was not too exciting. We had a hard time finding a place to eat. Many shops appear to be out of business. We ate at a pizza/pasta place that did not have its alcohol license yet. We ordered pasta. We were served with what looked like at least a pound of pasta each. It was unremarkable in flavor. The garlic rolls that came before the pasta were crusty, warm, and flavorful. We filled up on those.
Then back to John Morris Manor (where there is no wifi, but we lived). We horked a couple of chocolate chip cookies and went to bed.
Saturday morning, we were treated to a fresh fruit plate, tea, pancakes with blueberry sauce,and a sort of baked egg frittata (but looked like it was baked in a pan and then cut into squares--very fluffy and light and delicious. I'm going to try this.) with cheese. The other guests (two couples at the same table with us) were utterly charming. There was also juice. Dogs did a bit of begging.
I have neglected to mention that since Thursday morning (the morning I left for Boston), every thing I ate had a bitter, metallic aftertaste. Everything. Water. Bread. Worst culprits were greens and sweet things. I was so paranoid that I had some mysterious dental issue going on. It wasn't so bad the day I got to Boston, but the absolute worst day was Saturday, the day we were going on the wine trails. So that was a bit of a downer.
So keeping in mind that I could not properly taste wine to save my life, we started at Eleven Lakes Winery, which is just down the road from John Morris Manor. This is exciting because it's new and had their grand opening on October 3rd. I bought a bottle of red for Doug. It's long gone now, but I'm pretty sure it was the Cabernet Franc. The innkeeper at John Morris Manor recommended it.
Then we had cheese further down the road. Oh, the cheese tasted so good and then the weird bitter taste symptom appeared. We both bought the Horseradish cheddar cheese (I'm sorry I don't have the name of the farm that made the cheese at the moment. I'll try to find it).
Then we went to Knapp Winery in Romulus (insert Star Trek joke here). Again, taste buds fail me here, but I will say putting pictures of cats on the label that look like they have been to the taxidermist is not a good marketing idea. There is a huge selection here. They have a whole category of "fruit" wines, which is really not my thing, but there it is. Neither of us cared for any of the wine we tasted (I will say you can taste anything they sell in your wine tasting--I can't remember how many wines you get to have in one tasting, but it's a significant amount). However, once we realized we could taste the limoncello or limencello, we had to try it. The lemoncello is quite good and Ellen Aim bought a bottle (wish I had, too). Next time I'll try the limencello. Maybe I'll even try the restaurant next time! This vineyard was very popular--it was full of people and cars when we arrived.
Our last vineyard stop was Americana Vineyards and Winery, where we went to last year.
We resolved to go again this year, because the food there is wonderful, and the Apparition wine (blend of Cayuga grapes) was a favorite. Really, this winery is the one to go to for wine made from Cayuga grapes. The Cayuga White is also very good. Clean, crisp, dry. The Apparition is a bit sweeter (not at all too much, mind you). The Finger Lakes region seems better suited to white wines in my very limited experience so far. The winery also had a tasting menu of blueberry wines, which we had to try. Avoid that. The best of those was the last item on the tasting menu, which was the dessert wine. That was okay.
Waiting for a table at lunch was a long 45 minutes or so.
It was worth the wait. Everything tastes fresh and in-house. The bread on the sandwiches is very classy. The menu was different than last year, so we couldn't get the little dish full of nibblies we had last year. I had a grilled chicken sandwich with arugula pesto and sweet potato fries (not soggy! crispy! delightful!) and Ellen Aim had pork chops with mashed red potatoes and kale. Oh, the kale was sort of disappointing. It had sliced carrots in it and what tasted like reduced apple cider in it. It was too sweet for me. I am noticing a trend here. It may not escape your notice I'm not a huge fan of sweet things. Really, I like sweet things. In moderation. It didn't help that when I ate sweet things, the bitter after taste in my mouth was at its worst. Perhaps the kale was just fine. Maybe Ellen Aim will weigh in. It was her dish, after all. The winery also sells fudge, which is delicious for a small bite. I really loved the coconut fudge.
The winery also has a very friendly adorable cat.
I was totally exhausted at this point (I am also predictable), so we went back to the inn. We decided not to venture out again into the depressing place that Seneca Falls is at night (we did find a liquor store...no Tuaca, but we got some Godiva liqueur). We put a disk of Supernatural in and ate some of the lovely Horseradish cheese with some leftover crackers in the car and called it a night. We had to eat in the living area instead of our room (completely understandable). Fortunately, the room was empty so we didn't have to share Supernatural with the other guests.
I'll save the rest of the trip for another post.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)