Two tidbits:
Sobo has been reading "The Complete Adventures of Blinky Bill" by Dorothy Wall to the kids (Fiona started reading it on her own soon after). On page 12 it says, "The great day arrived. In a quiet corner of the bush, down by a little stream surrounded with bells and flannel flowers, everyone came from far and near to see young Bill christened". Fiona asked, "Why is his last name Christened"?
We went to Meet and Greet at Fiona's school. Her teacher gave each student a little gem-like thing to put under their pillows the night before the first day of school so that they would have good dreams about 2nd grade (I know this is sort of cheesy, but for the record, I thought it was cute). Fiona was telling this to Sophia later--that Fiona would have good dreams because of this gem. Sophia gave Fiona this confused look and said "No, you won't" in this incredulous tone of voice.
Lots going on here. However, our house has sold (with some conditions), but it is no longer ours.
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Monday, August 10, 2009
Mundane Blatherings
Oy, I'm still here, but engulfed by the details of life.
I finally got to register Fiona for school today and she is very excited. We've decided to let her take the bus to and from school, which is part of her excitement. It picks her up at approximately the ass crack of dawn, but, apparently, school here starts just after the ass crack of dawn. I asked about the gifted and talented program (apparently everyone gets tested for that in Kindergarten), and we can ask about that through her teacher (we find out who that is on the 20th)...probably giving it about a month to see where she's at. Sophia still seems to be enjoying school, although her teacher indicated that in the last two days she is reluctant to do her work. I was planning on taking her out of school tomorrow so she and Fiona can go to the Space Center together (there is this monstrosity of a climbing thing she salivates over, and it's so big and so maze-like that I want them to stick together in there). She is very excited about this. Hopefully, that isn't a bad idea because I'd like to do it one more time next week and take them both to the beach.
I had this idea earlier that Sophia would stay at her school until 6 instead of 2 when the school year started. Fiona's bus can actually drop Fiona off there after school, so I could pick them up at the same time. Fiona loves this idea. Now, however, it seems silly because A) I don't have a job yet. I haven't even started looking. B) 6 makes for a LONG day for them C) That'd be quite a bit extra spare change. So, hopefully, when I do find a job, that is something I can change later...and hopefully they could be picked up earlier than 6 (I mean, they go to bed around 7-7:30). I'm still not sure if I even like Sophia's school. Her teacher in the morning seems nice enough. I guess I need to schedule a visit and a conference to talk about how Sophia is doing. Once Fiona is in school, I can pop by a lot more frequently.
The closing date on our house has been moved to the 25th, or possibly some time before that. I believe the walls and ceiling are finally done, but the floors need to be finished. The entire first floor will be sanded and polished so it will all match. So hopefully, that makes up for the slightly later closing date. I just want it to be over.
Random fact. Did you know when you get your Texas driver's license when you move in from out of state, they take your old one away? You don't get a Texas driver's license with a photo on it for 6-8 weeks. This makes things extremely inconvenient. Things like trying to get important FedEx packages, opening up new bank accounts, using your credit card/debit card/checks. Oh, the list. It goes on.
We braved Houston last weekend and went to the FABULOUS zoo. We got a family membership, which is well worth every penny. My computer doesn't seem to recognize my camera at the moment (sigh), but hopefully pictures will soon be forthcoming.
These pictures are from Alex's visit last weekend. We had so much fun! It went by too fast. Next time we'll take her into Houston. I think the girls would prefer if we lived even closer to our families!
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
We'll Eat You Up, We Love You So!
I'm drowning in the annoying minutiae of life, but I'm still here. If only this movie were out NOW. I'm really looking forward to this!
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Lonesome Dove Bistro
I am so bummed I don't have pictures of us--we were fabulous--or our meal--also fabulous. It was all, well, fabulous.
We got there early, so we sat at the bar. This is where I had my first taste of Tuaca. Definitely a good thing to have in your mouth. I love that their Cucumber Tini is made with Hendrick's Gin. I've mentioned a couple of times before I'm a fan. Ellen Aim ordered the Texas Tini, which was smooth and fruity...but the cranberry helped the peach from being just cloyingly sweet, I think. Prefer the Tuaca. I don't usually have a stop at the bar before dinner, but I'm so glad we did.
The appetizer menu was desperately hard to choose from. Our waiter helpfully pointed out that you can order a sampler of four appetizers. This was a great option. I have to point out, though, it is also misleading. It is the same price as ordering four appetizers. No harm done as it was scrumptious, but a little surprising at bill time. Not TOO surprising, however. My discretionary income tends to all go towards food, anyway, so...
We ordered the blue corn lobster hushpuppies with watercress sauce. This was my second favorite. I adore lobster and corn together. Great match. The watercress gives it a contrasting note--just perfect. I admit, it didn't really seem or look like blue corn. It looked like yellow corn. Perhaps the lighting? It tasted great, so whatever. We ordered the wild boar ribs with BBQ sauce and house pickles. First, I love house pickles. It's a small thing, but you lose points in fine dining if you don't make your own and you definitely gain them if you make them. These were really good and paired well with the boar ribs which were nicely seasoned, perfectly cooked, and DAMN. I could have had an entree of this and been done. My favorite. We also ordered the rabbit-rattlesnake sausage on rosti and creme fraiche. I had to talk Ellen Aim into something with creme fraiche, but this was also pretty good. I say "pretty good" because the sausage was nice, but honestly unremarkable--a bit dry, too. However, I am a sucker for little potato cakes, which were spicy, but nicely so. Then we had the bacon wrapped stuffed figs, with an almond inside. Those were bits of lovely. I don't remember what sauce they were with--it wasn't celery root puree like it is on the current menu--it was a sort of cheese sauce. The bacon sort of dominated everything and you didn't actually taste a lot of fig, but well. That's bacon for you. I dare not say there was too much bacon wrapped around the fig. Who says that? I remember Ellen Aim asking me worriedly, as she was eating the fig, "You did say there was an almond in this, right?" It's good to know what you're eating sometimes!
We weren't inspired by the second course (I'm sure it's all delectable, but one has to pace oneself), so we decided to share the butter lettuce salad. The citrus vinaigrette was so, so light. It was delightful. It seemed to have a slight floral flavor along with a lemony taste. The pepitas were a great touch. I also just want to say it is so refreshing to eat somewhere where the greens are really fresh. I know. It seems really basic. It's surprising how many slimy green salads there are out there, even in places that should know better. It's a dangerous world. Now let's talk about the lardoons. Really, Ellen Aim said it best: "A chunk of bacon, if you will". I don't think I need to expound on this. So. A second course well placed. We also had this really sweet bread basket. House made (it had to be) cheese-corn-green chili cornbread and slices of a thin loaf of a molasses flavored bread. So awesome. Just needed a little more butter, but then, I am a butter whore. Really. It's quite shocking.
Alex ordered the roasted garlic stuffed tenderloin (one of their signature dishes), which was as tender as you could want. It came with a vegetable hash, asparagus (I ate that...well, most of it), and apparently, a syrah demi-glace. I didn't try the sauce, I see. Ellen Aim ordered the New Zealand red deer chop with Texas elk sausage, roasted hen of woods, which came with chicory salad---I believe you could also call this "coleslaw". I ate the mushrooms. Slurp. Roasted mushrooms! It was actually a mix of mushrooms--some button mushrooms were thrown in there. The deer chop was perfectly cooked (medium rare) and so succulent. Ellen Aim didn't care for the elk sausage, but I enjoyed it very much. Again, not the most amazing sausage, but perfectly respectable.
I ordered the Alaskan halibut, smoked crawfish stew, and crispy yucca. Okay, the little bits of crispy yucca were an outstanding addition to this dish and was the first thing I noticed and loved about this. I love dishes that have different textures to it. The smoked crawfish stew was my favorite part of the stew---really fresh tasting. The halibut was perfectly cooked and seared. I don't usually order the fish dish when there's beef and pork around, but we were sharing. I actually think I liked my dish the best.
I knew that Ellen Aim wanted a Zinfandel, and I thought that was an excellent choice. Zinfandel goes with so many things, and it's hard not to please with a good Zinfandel. You don't even need food with a Zinfandel. I was torn between Ravenswood (very safe choice) and Ironstone (I think the cheapest one, but still probably okay). I asked our server what he recommended and he right away pointed to the Ridge Zinfandels. These are everywhere and I think they have a good reputation, but I'd never actually tried one to my recollection. We ordered the 2005 Ridge, York Creek, Napa Valley (which seems to be out of stock at places online, and I can't find it at Spec's). It was well balanced, full of jammy berry goodness---really, the sort of thing you expect with a Zinfandel. Rich and yummy. It did not disappoint. I honestly didn't give it much more thought since I was there for the company and the food.
We did order one side dish. This was Ellen Aim's birthday celebration dinner, after all. Can't pass up white truffled macaroni and cheese. This was served with breaded artichoke hearts on top, which was a nice touch. We slurped this. We absolutely would have used fingers and tongues on the bowl, but we were raised better, even after a bottle of wine and a couple of cocktails. I forget, though, how potent truffle oil is. The leftovers we took home reeked of truffle afterwards, even though there was no leftover truffle macaroni and cheese.
For dessert, Ellen Aim ordered the Digestif menu, which totally flummoxed our waiter, who said he had never heard it called that. We got the bar menu from earlier. Okay. No bourbon? Not that I needed bourbon at that point. Maybe you have to ask. Maybe I just missed it (very possible). We did ask about something called "Dolce" under Dessert Wine for $30 and our waiter said it was very sweet and syrupy--I forget what he said, exactly, but he did say it was "like pancake syrup". He was obviously dissing it, for which I give him props. It made up for his, oh, Ellen Aim, what did you call it? His hostile apathy? Something like that. Anyway, we stayed the hell away from that and shared a shot of more Tuaca! They put it into 3 smaller shot glasses. We didn't order three desserts, alas, but we shared the churros (called Mexican doughnuts), which were warm, cinnamony, and plentiful. The cajeta was my favorite, but the chocolate did go very well with the Zinfandel (which we still had some of by this point. See, we aren't total lushes. Oh, and the bottle disappeared very quietly. No one saw a thing. Things came and went. It was really good service except for the lack of interaction, which in my book, is not necessary, and falls under bonus points).
We went home happy and watched a couple of videos, and then pretty much conked out like the party animals that we are.
We got there early, so we sat at the bar. This is where I had my first taste of Tuaca. Definitely a good thing to have in your mouth. I love that their Cucumber Tini is made with Hendrick's Gin. I've mentioned a couple of times before I'm a fan. Ellen Aim ordered the Texas Tini, which was smooth and fruity...but the cranberry helped the peach from being just cloyingly sweet, I think. Prefer the Tuaca. I don't usually have a stop at the bar before dinner, but I'm so glad we did.
The appetizer menu was desperately hard to choose from. Our waiter helpfully pointed out that you can order a sampler of four appetizers. This was a great option. I have to point out, though, it is also misleading. It is the same price as ordering four appetizers. No harm done as it was scrumptious, but a little surprising at bill time. Not TOO surprising, however. My discretionary income tends to all go towards food, anyway, so...
We ordered the blue corn lobster hushpuppies with watercress sauce. This was my second favorite. I adore lobster and corn together. Great match. The watercress gives it a contrasting note--just perfect. I admit, it didn't really seem or look like blue corn. It looked like yellow corn. Perhaps the lighting? It tasted great, so whatever. We ordered the wild boar ribs with BBQ sauce and house pickles. First, I love house pickles. It's a small thing, but you lose points in fine dining if you don't make your own and you definitely gain them if you make them. These were really good and paired well with the boar ribs which were nicely seasoned, perfectly cooked, and DAMN. I could have had an entree of this and been done. My favorite. We also ordered the rabbit-rattlesnake sausage on rosti and creme fraiche. I had to talk Ellen Aim into something with creme fraiche, but this was also pretty good. I say "pretty good" because the sausage was nice, but honestly unremarkable--a bit dry, too. However, I am a sucker for little potato cakes, which were spicy, but nicely so. Then we had the bacon wrapped stuffed figs, with an almond inside. Those were bits of lovely. I don't remember what sauce they were with--it wasn't celery root puree like it is on the current menu--it was a sort of cheese sauce. The bacon sort of dominated everything and you didn't actually taste a lot of fig, but well. That's bacon for you. I dare not say there was too much bacon wrapped around the fig. Who says that? I remember Ellen Aim asking me worriedly, as she was eating the fig, "You did say there was an almond in this, right?" It's good to know what you're eating sometimes!
We weren't inspired by the second course (I'm sure it's all delectable, but one has to pace oneself), so we decided to share the butter lettuce salad. The citrus vinaigrette was so, so light. It was delightful. It seemed to have a slight floral flavor along with a lemony taste. The pepitas were a great touch. I also just want to say it is so refreshing to eat somewhere where the greens are really fresh. I know. It seems really basic. It's surprising how many slimy green salads there are out there, even in places that should know better. It's a dangerous world. Now let's talk about the lardoons. Really, Ellen Aim said it best: "A chunk of bacon, if you will". I don't think I need to expound on this. So. A second course well placed. We also had this really sweet bread basket. House made (it had to be) cheese-corn-green chili cornbread and slices of a thin loaf of a molasses flavored bread. So awesome. Just needed a little more butter, but then, I am a butter whore. Really. It's quite shocking.
Alex ordered the roasted garlic stuffed tenderloin (one of their signature dishes), which was as tender as you could want. It came with a vegetable hash, asparagus (I ate that...well, most of it), and apparently, a syrah demi-glace. I didn't try the sauce, I see. Ellen Aim ordered the New Zealand red deer chop with Texas elk sausage, roasted hen of woods, which came with chicory salad---I believe you could also call this "coleslaw". I ate the mushrooms. Slurp. Roasted mushrooms! It was actually a mix of mushrooms--some button mushrooms were thrown in there. The deer chop was perfectly cooked (medium rare) and so succulent. Ellen Aim didn't care for the elk sausage, but I enjoyed it very much. Again, not the most amazing sausage, but perfectly respectable.
I ordered the Alaskan halibut, smoked crawfish stew, and crispy yucca. Okay, the little bits of crispy yucca were an outstanding addition to this dish and was the first thing I noticed and loved about this. I love dishes that have different textures to it. The smoked crawfish stew was my favorite part of the stew---really fresh tasting. The halibut was perfectly cooked and seared. I don't usually order the fish dish when there's beef and pork around, but we were sharing. I actually think I liked my dish the best.
I knew that Ellen Aim wanted a Zinfandel, and I thought that was an excellent choice. Zinfandel goes with so many things, and it's hard not to please with a good Zinfandel. You don't even need food with a Zinfandel. I was torn between Ravenswood (very safe choice) and Ironstone (I think the cheapest one, but still probably okay). I asked our server what he recommended and he right away pointed to the Ridge Zinfandels. These are everywhere and I think they have a good reputation, but I'd never actually tried one to my recollection. We ordered the 2005 Ridge, York Creek, Napa Valley (which seems to be out of stock at places online, and I can't find it at Spec's). It was well balanced, full of jammy berry goodness---really, the sort of thing you expect with a Zinfandel. Rich and yummy. It did not disappoint. I honestly didn't give it much more thought since I was there for the company and the food.
We did order one side dish. This was Ellen Aim's birthday celebration dinner, after all. Can't pass up white truffled macaroni and cheese. This was served with breaded artichoke hearts on top, which was a nice touch. We slurped this. We absolutely would have used fingers and tongues on the bowl, but we were raised better, even after a bottle of wine and a couple of cocktails. I forget, though, how potent truffle oil is. The leftovers we took home reeked of truffle afterwards, even though there was no leftover truffle macaroni and cheese.
For dessert, Ellen Aim ordered the Digestif menu, which totally flummoxed our waiter, who said he had never heard it called that. We got the bar menu from earlier. Okay. No bourbon? Not that I needed bourbon at that point. Maybe you have to ask. Maybe I just missed it (very possible). We did ask about something called "Dolce" under Dessert Wine for $30 and our waiter said it was very sweet and syrupy--I forget what he said, exactly, but he did say it was "like pancake syrup". He was obviously dissing it, for which I give him props. It made up for his, oh, Ellen Aim, what did you call it? His hostile apathy? Something like that. Anyway, we stayed the hell away from that and shared a shot of more Tuaca! They put it into 3 smaller shot glasses. We didn't order three desserts, alas, but we shared the churros (called Mexican doughnuts), which were warm, cinnamony, and plentiful. The cajeta was my favorite, but the chocolate did go very well with the Zinfandel (which we still had some of by this point. See, we aren't total lushes. Oh, and the bottle disappeared very quietly. No one saw a thing. Things came and went. It was really good service except for the lack of interaction, which in my book, is not necessary, and falls under bonus points).
We went home happy and watched a couple of videos, and then pretty much conked out like the party animals that we are.
More Pictures from the Space Center
She has seen Star Wars (and I don't mean those recent horrors...I mean the old, er, good ones), so this was pretty cool. She loved trying on the space helmets, too.
Here we are on our new sofa. It is very cozy!
Monday, July 13, 2009
Unedible.
Ellen Aim has written an excellent post about our visit to Lonesome Dove here, complete with pictures (I don't have pictures unless she mails me the one of me holding the bowl of luscious mushrooms...and even then, I'm not sure I'll be sharing). It was truly a sublime meal. I'll get to that in a minute. I have something else to get off my chest first.
It's a little blurry. Suffice to say, it is a monstrosity. It is supposed to be a grilled cheese sandwich from the Space Center in Houston (a very cool place, by the way. But bring a picnic). It is not. Oh, no. It is lukewarm white bread---and yes, without crusts. "Pre-toasted". It tastes like lukewarm dry cheap cheddar cheese surrounded by moist cardboard. It is an abomination. They put that on my tray when I paid and I nearly said "WTF" out loud. Let me first explain. The prices here are astronomical (heh heh heh--bet I'm not the first person to say that!). Fiona wanted a cheeseburger basket (that just means it has fries, too). That's nearly 8 dollars. For a mediocre cheeseburger. It's edible, but mediocre. Hey, it has a piece of small wilted lettuce and a Roma tomato round. So I got a kids' basket in case she didn't finish hers. Plus mine came with a Caprisun, which is this drink in a foil packet that is mostly sugar and has token fruit juice in it. It'sass fruit punch flavor. I just wanted her to have some liquid. Anyway, I thought I could not go wrong with a grilled cheese sandwich. I have been solidly proven wrong. By the way, I paid nearly 6 bucks for that. I will say this: the fries are pretty good. They were hot and nicely salted. We had no problem finishing those!
I have this feeling I'll probably find myself eating there again (actually, Fiona certainly will, she's going to four camps there--that's just four days--and they provide snack and lunch, which is very cool for the price) and I think it's possible I just need to try something different. We should have kept walking and tried the Italian place. You can't go wrong with pizza...right? Okay, don't answer that. I did see some people eating some and it looked okay. We actually would have ordered Chinese food, but they didn't have pork, so she turned her nose up at that.
Except for that unpleasant bit of lunch, we had a fabulous time. If you are ever in the area, this place is a must see, especially with kids. Especially with kids over 40 inches. It would NOT be a fun place if you went when it was packed, because I think you would feel like a sardine (especially in the kids' area). We had a blast and Fiona wants to go back to tomorrow (not happening). I loved the presentation they have on living in space. Next time I want to allow more time to roam around. We had to cut it short to go grocery shopping before I picked up Sophia (who seems to still be enjoying school).
I shall return to talk about the dinner in my next post!
It's a little blurry. Suffice to say, it is a monstrosity. It is supposed to be a grilled cheese sandwich from the Space Center in Houston (a very cool place, by the way. But bring a picnic). It is not. Oh, no. It is lukewarm white bread---and yes, without crusts. "Pre-toasted". It tastes like lukewarm dry cheap cheddar cheese surrounded by moist cardboard. It is an abomination. They put that on my tray when I paid and I nearly said "WTF" out loud. Let me first explain. The prices here are astronomical (heh heh heh--bet I'm not the first person to say that!). Fiona wanted a cheeseburger basket (that just means it has fries, too). That's nearly 8 dollars. For a mediocre cheeseburger. It's edible, but mediocre. Hey, it has a piece of small wilted lettuce and a Roma tomato round. So I got a kids' basket in case she didn't finish hers. Plus mine came with a Caprisun, which is this drink in a foil packet that is mostly sugar and has token fruit juice in it. It's
I have this feeling I'll probably find myself eating there again (actually, Fiona certainly will, she's going to four camps there--that's just four days--and they provide snack and lunch, which is very cool for the price) and I think it's possible I just need to try something different. We should have kept walking and tried the Italian place. You can't go wrong with pizza...right? Okay, don't answer that. I did see some people eating some and it looked okay. We actually would have ordered Chinese food, but they didn't have pork, so she turned her nose up at that.
Except for that unpleasant bit of lunch, we had a fabulous time. If you are ever in the area, this place is a must see, especially with kids. Especially with kids over 40 inches. It would NOT be a fun place if you went when it was packed, because I think you would feel like a sardine (especially in the kids' area). We had a blast and Fiona wants to go back to tomorrow (not happening). I loved the presentation they have on living in space. Next time I want to allow more time to roam around. We had to cut it short to go grocery shopping before I picked up Sophia (who seems to still be enjoying school).
I shall return to talk about the dinner in my next post!
Wednesday, July 08, 2009
Moist
Now there's a great word. Moist. However.
This. This is our purple house that is under contract in Vermont. The one we spent so much time and effort working on.
I think I like the waterfall and the warped floor the best. So the toilet apparently has been leaking. For days. That's about 4 inches of water in the basement there. We have insurance and it's all going to be okay, and hopefully the buyers will still want the house (well, they'll have new floors, etc). But damn. Now? Thanks, life.
This. This is our purple house that is under contract in Vermont. The one we spent so much time and effort working on.
I think I like the waterfall and the warped floor the best. So the toilet apparently has been leaking. For days. That's about 4 inches of water in the basement there. We have insurance and it's all going to be okay, and hopefully the buyers will still want the house (well, they'll have new floors, etc). But damn. Now? Thanks, life.
Tuesday, July 07, 2009
Maybe Not the Kangaroo Nachos
I'm driving up this weekend to help Alex take Ellen Aim out to dinner for her birthday. We are going to a restaurant named Lonesome Dove in Fort Worth. Look at the dinner menu (which changes daily). What would I NOT order? Damn. I don't know if Alex or Ellen Aim picked out the restaurant, but it looks like a bitchin' choice. I sort of just hopped on at the last minute to go in on the birthday dinner.
The dessert menu is chocolate this and chocolate that (I know, it's chocolate, but I prefer something else after an enormous meal. This will be an enormous meal). However, I see they have Mexican doughnuts, and I'm sure I'll have that. I mean, first, fresh doughnuts. That's enough right there. But dipped in cajeta? Now I feel all fluttery. I'll have to inquire about cheesecake lollipops. Strawberry shortcake is always good and, really, the basic desserts like strawberry shortcake can be the best desserts of all...or the worst. Like the banana split. At a place like this, I would have high hopes for something like a banana split. So that could be interesting. I am loving the fact that the ancho chocolate cake has a tomatillo anglaise. Having a hard time picturing what that would taste like. Actually, I sort of can and I'm still not sure. If I have room, maybe I'll have that. We'll see what the birthday girl wants to try and hopefully, we'll share desserts (3 desserts shared, I mean. Research. And birthday. Must have lots of desserts for a BIRTHDAY, right?). Tuaca is this, by the way. I had to look it up. Okay. So the flan sounds good, too.
Who knows if this is really the dessert menu we'll see (it may change fairly often depending on what's available and seasonality...one hopes). Still, I can see it will be hard to choose.
Do look at the wine list and feel free to leave a comment about what you would have. I have a feeling birthday girl will want it red and complex. I always love to try the specialty cocktails (there's that Tuaca again, frozen shots...I think I may have to try that), but I'm more interested in the wine/food pairing and this girl can only hold so much alcohol...and I just can't do alcohol on an empty stomach.
Anyway, celebrating will be had! Then Ellen Aim leaves us for Boston the following weekend. Boo.
The 4th was great fun and had in excellent company! We braved going out to see the fireworks (sort of a drag waiting for the bus to take us back to the parking lot where we left our car, but maybe there is a side street we can park on next year...and we'd need a cooler with wheels). Now I just have to figure out when to see Triana and her hub again! I'm just a wee bit too far away for visiting as often as I'd like. Yes, I know. I'm greedy. Triana took breathtakingly beautiful pictures of my babies. Here are some examples:
Triana also introduced me to Spec's, which has a very nice collection of wine. Damn. Perhaps, however, now, when we listen to the 3 Wine Guys podcast, we can actually find the wine! I haven't listened to the Mourvedre podcast yet, and I'm eager to. I love Mourvedre.
The dessert menu is chocolate this and chocolate that (I know, it's chocolate, but I prefer something else after an enormous meal. This will be an enormous meal). However, I see they have Mexican doughnuts, and I'm sure I'll have that. I mean, first, fresh doughnuts. That's enough right there. But dipped in cajeta? Now I feel all fluttery. I'll have to inquire about cheesecake lollipops. Strawberry shortcake is always good and, really, the basic desserts like strawberry shortcake can be the best desserts of all...or the worst. Like the banana split. At a place like this, I would have high hopes for something like a banana split. So that could be interesting. I am loving the fact that the ancho chocolate cake has a tomatillo anglaise. Having a hard time picturing what that would taste like. Actually, I sort of can and I'm still not sure. If I have room, maybe I'll have that. We'll see what the birthday girl wants to try and hopefully, we'll share desserts (3 desserts shared, I mean. Research. And birthday. Must have lots of desserts for a BIRTHDAY, right?). Tuaca is this, by the way. I had to look it up. Okay. So the flan sounds good, too.
Who knows if this is really the dessert menu we'll see (it may change fairly often depending on what's available and seasonality...one hopes). Still, I can see it will be hard to choose.
Do look at the wine list and feel free to leave a comment about what you would have. I have a feeling birthday girl will want it red and complex. I always love to try the specialty cocktails (there's that Tuaca again, frozen shots...I think I may have to try that), but I'm more interested in the wine/food pairing and this girl can only hold so much alcohol...and I just can't do alcohol on an empty stomach.
Anyway, celebrating will be had! Then Ellen Aim leaves us for Boston the following weekend. Boo.
The 4th was great fun and had in excellent company! We braved going out to see the fireworks (sort of a drag waiting for the bus to take us back to the parking lot where we left our car, but maybe there is a side street we can park on next year...and we'd need a cooler with wheels). Now I just have to figure out when to see Triana and her hub again! I'm just a wee bit too far away for visiting as often as I'd like. Yes, I know. I'm greedy. Triana took breathtakingly beautiful pictures of my babies. Here are some examples:
Triana also introduced me to Spec's, which has a very nice collection of wine. Damn. Perhaps, however, now, when we listen to the 3 Wine Guys podcast, we can actually find the wine! I haven't listened to the Mourvedre podcast yet, and I'm eager to. I love Mourvedre.
Monday, June 29, 2009
Not in Kansas Anymore
Or Vermont, for that matter.
It was a smooth, but intense, trip down here and we are still unpacking. The worst part was Wednesday when the movers were here all day, unloading in 104 degree heat. I have been unpacking steadily since then and it is slow going. The kids are having an adventure and being amazingly well behaved (most of the time). I can tell they are ready to at least see other kids, though. Most people tend to hide in their houses during the day. It sort of feels like winter in Vermont, but a lot sunnier and hotter.
I have not taken one single picture, so I hope to do that soon.
Today I hope to make sure we have everything we need for Sophia's first day of school (which I think is next Monday, but I'm not even sure about that), find some summer camps and violin lessons for Fiona, get ready for Triana's visit this Friday (!!!), get the library cards, find the post office and mail Fiona's letters, call AT&T because the very nice man who was here for 4 hours (or was it 5?) did not leave any information about what our email address would be or any codes for anything AND now the land line is way too static-y to use, and, of course, I need to keep on keepin' on with the unpacking. I still need to get my driver's license. We did register both cars and get them inspected. That cost a pretty penny (90 dollar new resident fee for each car on top of all the other costs). We didn't do the driver's license because after getting to the DMV, we discovered the checkbook had been left at the tax office. Thankfully, someone turned it in. It had been an all morning thing by this point, and we were all done.
We'll have been here one week Wednesday and I can see now that, yes, indeed, I need to find a job outside the home. I have no idea what that will be or where and, of course, trying to find a new job is fairly daunting and anxiety producing.
More updates later, and hopefully, some pictures!
It was a smooth, but intense, trip down here and we are still unpacking. The worst part was Wednesday when the movers were here all day, unloading in 104 degree heat. I have been unpacking steadily since then and it is slow going. The kids are having an adventure and being amazingly well behaved (most of the time). I can tell they are ready to at least see other kids, though. Most people tend to hide in their houses during the day. It sort of feels like winter in Vermont, but a lot sunnier and hotter.
I have not taken one single picture, so I hope to do that soon.
Today I hope to make sure we have everything we need for Sophia's first day of school (which I think is next Monday, but I'm not even sure about that), find some summer camps and violin lessons for Fiona, get ready for Triana's visit this Friday (!!!), get the library cards, find the post office and mail Fiona's letters, call AT&T because the very nice man who was here for 4 hours (or was it 5?) did not leave any information about what our email address would be or any codes for anything AND now the land line is way too static-y to use, and, of course, I need to keep on keepin' on with the unpacking. I still need to get my driver's license. We did register both cars and get them inspected. That cost a pretty penny (90 dollar new resident fee for each car on top of all the other costs). We didn't do the driver's license because after getting to the DMV, we discovered the checkbook had been left at the tax office. Thankfully, someone turned it in. It had been an all morning thing by this point, and we were all done.
We'll have been here one week Wednesday and I can see now that, yes, indeed, I need to find a job outside the home. I have no idea what that will be or where and, of course, trying to find a new job is fairly daunting and anxiety producing.
More updates later, and hopefully, some pictures!
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Goodbye Green Mountain State!
We got Fiona's violin upgraded. Wow. She grew a lot this year. I'm sort of embarrassed how tiny the old violin was. How did that happen?
I have no tea kettle and no way to contain water to boil, so here I sit with gas station coffee. The first of many, I am sure.
The girls have just woken up, so I am frantically trying to squeeze in precious writing and computer time. However, the pantry and refrigerator beckon. I have to clean those out! I have to shower before the movers get here and hope I can dry the towel outside quickly. We're debating about staying in a hotel tonight after all.
We'll be traveling through New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and on into Texas. Once we get to Louisiana, just north of New Orleans, we'll travel into Houston on Highway 10...which is the route we took when we left Texas to live in Florida. Sort of cool.
I was hoping to get an Atlas for the kids to look at on our trip, but I'm not sure there will be time. The kids, by the way, are very excited and really looking forward to the trip down there. Please hope with me that nothing precious like Fuzzy (Sophia's lovey) accidentally gets packed. Maybe she'll let me put him in the car now. If you don't tell the movers not to pack something, they'll pack it! Imagine that. So we did have to rescue a screwdriver and expensive work shoes.
I could at least double this entry on all the things I will miss in Vermont and how much I have come to love this place (you know, except for those dark winters). I don't think I need to, however. I think it is evident from day one of my blog. Not the least of what I'll miss are just things related to the girls. The birth center where they were born, how the weather was outside afterwards when we cuddled up together afterwards (Fiona was born in February and there was a thaw then, but we got snow later! Sophia was born mid October, just after foliage season), and all the things we did together: hiking outside at the Montshire Museum of Science, smelling lilacs at the Shelburne Museum, creemees from many, many country stores (Warren has a great one, by the way, but I'm not 100% sure they have creemees), picking strawberries and just spending our days in the summer laying outside on a blanket and reading and napping.
Thank you, Vermont!
I have no tea kettle and no way to contain water to boil, so here I sit with gas station coffee. The first of many, I am sure.
The girls have just woken up, so I am frantically trying to squeeze in precious writing and computer time. However, the pantry and refrigerator beckon. I have to clean those out! I have to shower before the movers get here and hope I can dry the towel outside quickly. We're debating about staying in a hotel tonight after all.
We'll be traveling through New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and on into Texas. Once we get to Louisiana, just north of New Orleans, we'll travel into Houston on Highway 10...which is the route we took when we left Texas to live in Florida. Sort of cool.
I was hoping to get an Atlas for the kids to look at on our trip, but I'm not sure there will be time. The kids, by the way, are very excited and really looking forward to the trip down there. Please hope with me that nothing precious like Fuzzy (Sophia's lovey) accidentally gets packed. Maybe she'll let me put him in the car now. If you don't tell the movers not to pack something, they'll pack it! Imagine that. So we did have to rescue a screwdriver and expensive work shoes.
I could at least double this entry on all the things I will miss in Vermont and how much I have come to love this place (you know, except for those dark winters). I don't think I need to, however. I think it is evident from day one of my blog. Not the least of what I'll miss are just things related to the girls. The birth center where they were born, how the weather was outside afterwards when we cuddled up together afterwards (Fiona was born in February and there was a thaw then, but we got snow later! Sophia was born mid October, just after foliage season), and all the things we did together: hiking outside at the Montshire Museum of Science, smelling lilacs at the Shelburne Museum, creemees from many, many country stores (Warren has a great one, by the way, but I'm not 100% sure they have creemees), picking strawberries and just spending our days in the summer laying outside on a blanket and reading and napping.
Thank you, Vermont!
Thursday, June 11, 2009
7 Days
Click on the picture to read it. If you need translating, it says, "Poem about leaving. I will miss all of you very much. I don't want to leave this school and go to a new one in Texas :(, and I hope everybody enjoys this school very much. Made by Fiona for Mrs. Mancillas [ed note: the principal] I made this for you so you will know that the school loves you."
This is the morning she gets her "Citizen of the Month" award. I'm already blubbering. I'm not sure I can watch her get any sort of award without looking totally red and puffy. Oh well.
This is the morning she gets her "Citizen of the Month" award. I'm already blubbering. I'm not sure I can watch her get any sort of award without looking totally red and puffy. Oh well.
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
8 Days
Okay, the hotel reservations are all made for the big road trip. I also scored the current Saveur magazine--an entire issue dedicated to Texas! What great timing! I have no idea why I haven't gotten around to subscribing to this magazine. It's a great magazine. I haven't actually had a chance to read this issue yet because Sophia claimed it and is fascinated by the big picture of the longhorn in the center of the magazine. We had a little conversation where she tried to wrap her brain around the fact that, yes, that is where beef comes from. She said "That's not nice" and in the next breath "I like to eat meat".
The people who looked at our house last night liked the house. They seem to be serious buyers. I am really hoping they make an offer, but trying not to get my hopes up. At all. Ever. Until contracts are signed.
Up! was greatly enjoyed by all. Sophia found a few things scary (and there is just a little bit of gun use/swords/fighting) and some things quite distressing (that's because they were) but liked it (still talks about the scary dogs, though). Fiona loved it and her friend seemed to love it, but I think they especially just loved seeing it together. I could have used some tissues.
Apparently, they are talking about Texas in Fiona's class today (they "visit" different countries throughout the year, ending in the USA by the end of the year. Her teacher picks a few states to study--including Vermont, of course--and Texas is one of those states this year). I can't wait to hear about that later!
I suppose today I will work on what's going in the car (I keep saying that, don't I?) and cancel the landline service and the rubbish removal.
I can't believe we'll be on the road a week from today!
The people who looked at our house last night liked the house. They seem to be serious buyers. I am really hoping they make an offer, but trying not to get my hopes up. At all. Ever. Until contracts are signed.
Up! was greatly enjoyed by all. Sophia found a few things scary (and there is just a little bit of gun use/swords/fighting) and some things quite distressing (that's because they were) but liked it (still talks about the scary dogs, though). Fiona loved it and her friend seemed to love it, but I think they especially just loved seeing it together. I could have used some tissues.
Apparently, they are talking about Texas in Fiona's class today (they "visit" different countries throughout the year, ending in the USA by the end of the year. Her teacher picks a few states to study--including Vermont, of course--and Texas is one of those states this year). I can't wait to hear about that later!
I suppose today I will work on what's going in the car (I keep saying that, don't I?) and cancel the landline service and the rubbish removal.
I can't believe we'll be on the road a week from today!
Tuesday, June 09, 2009
Citizen Brown
I just got a letter from Fiona's school that she has been selected to receive the "Citizen of the Month Award" for May.
I showed her the letter and she got the sweetest, proud smile on her face.
She's having a great day. She has been talking non-stop since I picked her up from school (actually unusual...she usually likes to chill with a book). It was all about the science fair that her class visited at the 7th grade. She apparently completed all of the "Easy", "Medium", and "Hard" equations (just addition) and got a glittery orange pencil. This, of course, is a big deal. It's a cool pencil. She has a crown that declares she is "Fiona: Queen of the Swamp". I think there were other interesting items but she talks so low and quickly these days, it is hard to catch everything she is saying, especially in the car, and especially for someone like me who is a little hard of hearing.
I showed her the letter and she got the sweetest, proud smile on her face.
She's having a great day. She has been talking non-stop since I picked her up from school (actually unusual...she usually likes to chill with a book). It was all about the science fair that her class visited at the 7th grade. She apparently completed all of the "Easy", "Medium", and "Hard" equations (just addition) and got a glittery orange pencil. This, of course, is a big deal. It's a cool pencil. She has a crown that declares she is "Fiona: Queen of the Swamp". I think there were other interesting items but she talks so low and quickly these days, it is hard to catch everything she is saying, especially in the car, and especially for someone like me who is a little hard of hearing.
9 Days
I'm not going to be able to do a full countdown here because the computer will be packed away next Monday or Tuesday. Gulp. I'm sure the withdrawal symptoms will begin within hours. Perhaps minutes.
I've spent the better part of the day trying to figure out where we will stop for the four nights on our trek to Texas and also locating hotels that are not skanky (at least based on reviews), not overpriced, and have a pool (which we can only hope is not strangely oily and cloudy looking like one of the last places we stayed in. Shudder.). Oh, and are available. That helps.
We're going to see Up! tonight after some greasy spoon food from the Dairy Creme in Montpelier. I think a Dish of Dirt is probably a requirement (I believe it's chocolate cake, fudge sauce, chocolate ice cream, and two gummy worms--Fiona always gets that, and finally, now that she's 7, it doesn't look bigger than her head. I still think she should share it with someone, but she eats the whole thing). I'm sure we'll get a huge bowl of popcorn, which will thrill Sophia, who is my little popcorn fanatic. Like me.
I should now clean, as we have people looking at the house at 7 PM. All I want to do is take a nap. It's very dark today and rainy. Mostly dark. It's odd when it's like this, because the it's so green outside that it nearly glows. I need to bring in some smelly lily-of-the-valley soon. While I still can. I'll miss that.
Tomorrow marks one week until the day we leave.
I've spent the better part of the day trying to figure out where we will stop for the four nights on our trek to Texas and also locating hotels that are not skanky (at least based on reviews), not overpriced, and have a pool (which we can only hope is not strangely oily and cloudy looking like one of the last places we stayed in. Shudder.). Oh, and are available. That helps.
We're going to see Up! tonight after some greasy spoon food from the Dairy Creme in Montpelier. I think a Dish of Dirt is probably a requirement (I believe it's chocolate cake, fudge sauce, chocolate ice cream, and two gummy worms--Fiona always gets that, and finally, now that she's 7, it doesn't look bigger than her head. I still think she should share it with someone, but she eats the whole thing). I'm sure we'll get a huge bowl of popcorn, which will thrill Sophia, who is my little popcorn fanatic. Like me.
I should now clean, as we have people looking at the house at 7 PM. All I want to do is take a nap. It's very dark today and rainy. Mostly dark. It's odd when it's like this, because the it's so green outside that it nearly glows. I need to bring in some smelly lily-of-the-valley soon. While I still can. I'll miss that.
Tomorrow marks one week until the day we leave.
Monday, June 08, 2009
10 Days
I'm about to drop off the remnants of our garage sale to the Salvation Army (I hope. I am not sure they will take everything...). Our showing on Friday canceled, but we have someone coming tomorrow at 7...PM. That will be okay because I'll be taking the kids with friends to see Up! and get creemees. I can't remember if there are two es on the end of that or one.
I've got Sophia home with me today, but despite that, I've gotten things done and she's been very cuddly. She seems to be all set up for starting at her preschool in July (not wasting any time there...she won't be there as long during the day as she will be for the proper school year). It looks like we can buy new car seats for our last car accident and we will get reimbursed, so that is good (although I told her the cost of Britax car seats and she understandably balked a bit).
Fiona has painstakingly written out little cards for all her friends, teachers, and our neighbors with her new address on them. I still feel like I haven't gotten nearly enough time with friends, so I will try to squeeze that in this week and maybe into the next.
My goal for this afternoon is to pick the route we'll take, possibly make hotel reservations (or at least look for good choices), and finally start setting aside stuff for the car.
I've got Sophia home with me today, but despite that, I've gotten things done and she's been very cuddly. She seems to be all set up for starting at her preschool in July (not wasting any time there...she won't be there as long during the day as she will be for the proper school year). It looks like we can buy new car seats for our last car accident and we will get reimbursed, so that is good (although I told her the cost of Britax car seats and she understandably balked a bit).
Fiona has painstakingly written out little cards for all her friends, teachers, and our neighbors with her new address on them. I still feel like I haven't gotten nearly enough time with friends, so I will try to squeeze that in this week and maybe into the next.
My goal for this afternoon is to pick the route we'll take, possibly make hotel reservations (or at least look for good choices), and finally start setting aside stuff for the car.
Tuesday, June 02, 2009
A 4 Year Old Analyzes P!nk
So What - P!nk
I just bought this song because after hearing it every single day at work, I decided I had to keep hearing it. Actually, I ended up getting a few P!nk songs. I've heard her before, but it just didn't really stick with me until now.
So both Fiona and Sophia LOVE this song (hey, it beats Kindermusic). Sophia now will ask numerous questions about every song we listen to. For this one: "Why is she a rock star?" "Why does she have rock moves?" "Why is it called So What?" (Explanation follows to which she says, "Oh, that's sad").
She also loves this song:
Of course she asks, "Why does blood make noise?" She also asks the name of the song again and again and then gets this look on her face like she is thinking very deeply.
They also love this song, but I'm not usually around when they listen to it:
Well, it could be worse.
I love this song (ahem) and they could start singing this at school. I'm sure it would be a big hit at the Waldorf school:
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Found
Here's a comic I've saved, found in the masses of stuff I've accumulated. You'll have to click on it to be able to read it.
This would have been best as a Mother's Day post, but oh well.
This would have been best as a Mother's Day post, but oh well.
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
I Would Eat Only Bacon.
I give you The Brick Store. We drive all the way here for the bacon. The pepperoni is good, too. They have their own soda, but it's made with corn syrup instead of sugar, so that's disappointing. Still not a bad taste, especially the Sarsaparilla soda.
Mmmmm. Bacon.
At the Hop is a cute ice cream store next door. It's pretty basic in terms of the offerings, but I love the decor and it's a nice treat for the girls who have ridden in the car for an hour plus for...bacon.
She finished before Fiona. Gadzooks!
Some pictures of the inside:
It was a gorgeous day.
So we checked out the covered bridge:
The garage sale we had last weekend went very well (except for someone stealing 3 containers of earrings/rings/bracelets out of our garage while we were in Bath...) and this is my last week of work. We're still trying to pin down a date for the moving people to pack up our stuff and then tote it away. We also need to figure out where exactly we'll be staying on our great road trip to Tejas. We had one more family look at our house yesterday (making the grand number of showings up to...two). My car needs regular tires (goodbye forever, snow tires!) and a tune-up, and hopefully we'll have time to get Doug's car tuned-up. No word yet on when his car will be all fixed up. We're still waiting on money from the first car accident.
I think once we get settled into the new house (hopefully, that will go smoothly), I will sleep for a week.
Live Action Update! Looks like the day we leave Vermont will be the 18th. The movers actually need two days instead of one day to pack, and one day to load. This makes it a little close...it will take us 4 days to get to Texas, and Doug would start the next day (so we drive the 18th, 19th, 20th, and 21st...and he starts the 22nd). We just have to drive 7-8 hours a day and it should work out. I think we could have them come earlier, but then our stuff would be in storage. I'm not in love with that idea, and really, it will be nice to stay here as long as possible to see everyone we want to see before we leave.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)