Home, Home on the Range

Last night we lit a fire in the chiminea and all snuggled up outside to enjoy the fire. I started singing and Nils' face lit up and he immediately ran inside to grab our Family Car Songbook. We ended up singing "Home on the Range" over and over and over as C just learned that one at school.

Home, home on the range

Sitting on our deck. Fire popping and glowing. Children snuggled in our laps with their lovies. 

Where the deer and the antelope play

Chris and I tucked in those munchkins (to the tune of more Home on the Range) and then went back to the chiminea. I dozed off in my chair and awoke to Chris telling me it was time to go inside.

Where seldom is heard a discouraging word.

Home.

Zoo Days and Holy Days

Yesterday began with a list. "Pick up the car with the repaired tire." "Run by the church to scan and send something." "Finish prepping for Saturday's Quiet Day." "Insurance blah blah." "Grocery store." "Etc. Etc. Etc."

Yesterday began with a list.
And a phone call from my sister.

The phone call from my sister led to ditching most of the list and heading to the zoo. Time spent with family is always time well spent. Time spent at the zoo is always time well spent. Time spent outside when the weather is perfect is always time well spent. Holy days.

This morning began with a Quiet Day. I led my sisters at church through a day of reflection and meditation. Quiet. Study. Reflection. Holiness.

Nils is sleeping. Carolena is painting. It is a holy day indeed. Holy days abound.

True Love

When we were in college Chris would often surprise me by hopping on my bus with a cold Diet Coke for yours truly. He would then ride around sitting in the seat behind me talking my face off while I drove in circles for a few hours.

Cold Diet Coke? Riding around on a miserable bus just to see me?! That's true love.

Remember the tires?

Chris got a handmade Valentine from me that said "I'll never tire of you."
The inside read, "I got rid of the tires. Happy Valentine's Day. You're welcome."

Getting rid of a potential craft project?! That's true love.

Yesterday we stayed after school to play on the playground. Carolena skipped on over to her music teacher and plopped down on the seat next to her "for a snuggle." She then looked up at her teacher and announced, "When I'm in college my boyfriend is going to bring me queso everyday."

Queso everyday?! That's true love, my friends. That's true love.

Nuggets from Nils

Hanging out with Mommy is the best. Mommy likes to get up early, so you should too. Mommy thinks you are adorable so she'll always be willing to snuggle up with a pile of books and read to you. Grab a stack of books, a cup of milk, and Mommy's hand and head to her favorite chair for some quality reading time.

Not in the mood to read? Grab Crocodile Dentist and drag Mommy to her bed. Get snuggled up and snap snap snap! That thing is hilarious. Every once in a while yell, "your turn!" and shoot Mommy a smile. Let her push a couple of the teeth down... but then take it back. It's really the funniest if it chomps you.

Never eat meals if you can help it. In fact, let's back up... while Mommy is preparing meals you should cling to her legs and cry and whine. Then, when it's time to sit down and actually eat what she made... refuse. Simply refuse. It drives her bonkers.

Don't drink milk if you can drink chocolate milk. Ask for chocolate milk every few hours even though Mommy only lets you have it once in a blue moon. Who knows? Maybe next time she'll say yes!

How to Clean Your House With Kids

I saw a website recently that had printable instructions on how to clean your house. Like, a step-by-step checklist to get your house clean.

The first step was to "pick up everything in every room."

Clearly this author doesn't have small children. I nearly snorted coffee out of my nose reading her instructions. If I cleaned my house by that list it would NEVER be clean. Ever. There is no point in picking up toys. Children see a clean room not as a clean room but as an opportunity. A clean room is like a blank canvas.

Here are my rules for cleaning a house if you have small children:

Step One: Invite someone over. This step is crucial as it will give you a deadline and purpose.
Step Two: Clean the master bedroom. This should take about 5 minutes regardless of how messy it is. Put away any laundry stacked up on the dresser. Shove all shoes back into the closet. Make the bed. Vacuum. Dust. Done. Close the master bedroom door and forbid anyone from entering on penalty of death. Or worse, penalty of lost gummies.
Step Three: Clean the dining room. Put away the stacks of laundry covering the table. Wipe it down. Floors will be done later.
Step Four: Kitchen. Put away everything strewn all over the counters. Anything that doesn't have a home should be shoved into a basket for later organization. You know, the basket full of papers from 2014. Wipe the cabinets. Wipe the counters. Leave floors for later.
Step Five: Living room. Get out the vacuum and pick up as you go. The vacuum is essential to this process as children believe it will eat toys and they will screech and scream and run in front of you "saving their toys" aka cleaning up the living room.
Step Six: Floors. Vacuum the entire house with the Step Five method. Mop tile floors.
Step Seven: Twenty minutes before guests arrive remember you have not yet cleaned the bathroom. Run through that sucker as quickly as possible. Don't try to clean the bathroom before then... the kids will just go in and brush their teeth (how does so much toothpaste get on the counter?!). Always leave the bathroom for last.

Badda Bing Badda Boom. Clean house in 7 simple steps.

Optional Step 8: think to oneself "hm. perhaps I should dust..." (said the woman with a major dust allergy) and wander around the house with a damp cloth during that weird interim when waiting for guests to arrive. Remember that it's been a while since cleaning the master bathroom and make a mental note to do that at some point in the future.

Yes, this is really how our house gets clean. Stay tuned for tips on how to declutter.

Okay, here it is: one step to declutter...
Don't let empty diaper boxes leave your house unless they are full of stuff to drop off at Goodwill. I never recycle those big boxes. I put them on my dresser and slowly (or not so slowly) fill them with stuff to get rid of. Voila! Constantly decluttering.

Incoherent Ramblings

Want to listen to me obsess some more? I just can't get into my next book. You know the feeling when you loved the book you just finished so much that it seems impossible to move to the next book? Yeah, I've got that problem. Maybe I should just reread Touch the Top of the World. I've started like three books and just can't move on yet. Or maybe I'll just go to an old standby palette cleanser like Don't Stop the Carnival.

If you don't know the feeling I'm talking about then you need to find better books to read. It's the feeling of the book you just finished being so good that you forget that you have finished it. It's the feeling of not being able to move on to the next book because your brain is still stuck firmly in the last one. It's a wonderful and horrible place. Gone With the Wind... yeah... that one will do it to you.

OR maybe I shouldn't start another book and should instead spend my time wisely prepping for the Quiet Day I'm leading a week from today. Hm. That wooouuld be wise. Nah. I'll let Future Casey deal with that.

I was listening to an interview with Yann Martel on NPR recently and he was asked about sending books to the Canadian Prime Minister. Martel (author of Life of Pi) said that he heard the Prime Minister say that he doesn't read fiction and was horrified. Here's what stuck with me: Martel argued that reading fiction is one of the things that brings people to compassion. It is when we read that we enter into the shoes of another person and walk around in them. That is so true. Reading is an escape that watching tv or playing online just isn't. Reading Touch the Top of the World I became a blind man mountain climbing. Reading Gone With the Wind I'm Scarlett watching Atlanta burn around me and just trying to get home to Tara of the past. I've been a middle aged Jewish man in the Caribbean. I like to return to the terror of a world in which people burn books and only listen to ipods. Reading transforms the user experience in a way that watching could never do. Martel is so right. Reading brings the ability to walk in another shoes and truly learn what it is like to be someone else. Reading breeds compassion. The end of the story was that Martel started mailing books to the Prime Minister that he recommended he read. That's awesome.

I think this might be my favorite time of year: Texas Spring. It's technically still winter (ha, winter) but outside the weather is glorious. The birds are singing and the sun is out. The humidity is low and the suffocating heat of the summer is still far enough in the future to seem like it might not come this year (double ha).

Okay, I'm lying. This isn't my favorite time of year. Fall in another state is my favorite. But, hey, this is what were living so this will be my favorite. Minus all of the allergies.

You know what would be a good security system? Putting those little kid door handle things on the outside knobs of your house.

My coffee intake is out of control. Too much coffee. Too much junk food. Ugh. Today is reset day. Well, not reset caffeine day, don't be ridiculous. Future Casey has way too much on her plate to start that crap. *sigh* When will I ever learn? When will I eeeevvvver learn?

What Comes Before Part B?

Part A!!
Ohhh yeah.

Happy birthday to me. I finally have embraced the (perhaps obnoxious) reality that I love my own birthday. Party! Party!

The festivities kicked off yesterday when one of my favorite friends met us at the park. C's bff's mother surprised me with a birthday picnic. I was so shocked! A nice tablecloth, a fancy delicious cake, snacks, drinks - it was seriously one of the best surprises.

OHMYGOODLORD - It's 5freakingAM and Olive keeps meowing and chirping and scratching at the kids' doors. She's been at it for the last half hour and I now am beginning to suspect SHE is the reason they've been waking up so damn early. GRRRRR. Olive, hell hath no fury like a mother of children awakened too early in the morning. You have been warned, cat.

Oh hey, I like my cats again. Remember how I was so annoyed with them all of the time? Yeah, that's over. At the moment I'm in my favorite seat in the house ("my" armchair) with a cup of coffee on one arm and Max on the other. But, alas, I have to go chase Olive away from Nils' door.

Okay, back to my birthday. Sorry for that not-so-brief interruption. After my surprise birthday picnic yesterday we spent all morning at the park. The weather was perfect and that mom is perfectly content to talk about Everest, and Erik Weihenmayer, It's Sunny, and all things that are fascinating. We have very similar tastes. Then C and I spent the afternoon eating popcorn and reading library books. Eating popcorn and reading library books is a ritual for us. Sometimes I like to ask her if she's going to do that with me forever. Can't you just see the two of us with a bowl of popcorn and some good books through out all phases of life? Yeah, me too.

Chris came home early with proclamations of birthday celebrations and we went to my favorite restaurant (Alicia's). I'm sure they hate us there as we order queso and fajitas for one... but we tip really well to make up for it, go at like 5, and really - fajitas for one is a ton of food. If you are going to serve enough food for four people then don't be surprised when four people order it.

Oh! AND - Chris cut our cubbies to fit into our entryway!!! Remember how I brought home kindergarten cubbies from my parents' house? They're in! Woo! They are so so so awesome. All I need to do is get hooks and put each of our names on a spot. I'm giddy with how cool and functional it is.

All of this fun and it wasn't even my birthday yet! Today: coffee, zoo, birthday homemade pizza dinner, cake! Tomorrow: gardening and dinner with c's best friend's fam. Things are looking up (remember that commercial that I always quote from when we lived in VA but it didn't play here?) "Things are looking up!"

Also, awesome side note - I was thinking about my friend Katie and realized that they are our friend family in which EVERYONE is friends. Chris and her hubby are friends. Katie and I are friends. The kids are all friends. How often does THAT happen? Awesome.

Oh, damn it, Olive... again? Really. I take back what I said about liking my cats...
Sigh, we'll at least while I'm up chasing her I can get some more coffee.

Happy birthday to me! Happy birthday to me! I look like a walrus, and I swim in the sea!

ABCs of today

Addicted. It's Sunny in Philadelphia. Netflix. Need I say more? Okay, I'll say more. I love Charlie Day. I think he is so adorable and told Chris that if there were a movie version of our lives Charlie Day would play Chris. I then reenacted a scene from It's Sunny in which Charlie's teeth fall out because he never brushes them... Chris was not amused but rather bemused (Chris brushes his teeth). "It's the actor! Not the character that reminds me of you!" I'm not sure he bought it.

Back and Bootcamp and Birthday- I strained a muscle in my upper back yesterday (no, Mom, no tooo badly. Just like a big knot) and it's too sore to go to bootcamp tomorrow. I'm totally bummed about this as tomorrow is my birthday. Does that sound crazy to you? For people's birthdays in bootcamp we do everything in sets of their age. So tomorrow we were going to do 33s. I'm bummed.

Coffee, what else? Despite my neurologist's recommendation to keep caffeine to two cups of coffee a day, I've been letting it creep up again. It's always a caffeine roller-coaster around here. Not really a caffeine roller-coaster... coffee. Just coffee.

Dirty. Well, maybe not dirty but messy... our house that is. I've been trying to clean all week and it's messier than when I began. How does that happen?! I think because I'm trying to clean out and reorganize and not just hide away all of the crap. Our house is weird because we have several areas that are basically empty (like the cabinets underneath all of our bathroom sinks) but then we have crapola everywhere that doesn't seem to have a place to go. Reorganizing makes everything so messy. Messy, not dirty.

Erik Weihenmayer aka My New Hero. Remember how I only want to talk about Everest or Antarctica? Well, guess what... Erik Weihenmayer has been to both. He's done the Seven Summits and is so lovable and, oh by the way, he does all of this blind. I need everyone to read his book so we can talk about him all of the time. I emailed his facebook contact page and got a reply from his manager (or some such person). She asked me where I live so that they can consider inviting me to an upcoming talk. Oh my gosh I reeaaalllly want to go hear him speak. Now I just need to figure out what I'm going to do to sign up for his No Barriers commitment. Let's all do it. It doesn't have to be a physical challenge. Anyone else want to sign up?

Freaking stalker... yikes. If all I want to do is talk about Sir Ernest Shackleton that's fine. But somehow having my new hero be someone living makes me sound like a stalker... I'm not, just to be clear. Although if Erik Weihenmayer lived nearby I would invite his family over for dinner... sooo... hmm. Just read the damn book and you'll feel the same way. Trust me, I never throw out a broad "you have to read this" to everyone I know, but this one. Yep. Read it.

Girl Scout Cookies. I think the solution to the "I want to buy a bunch but not eat a bunch" problem is to purchase the "Thanks A Lots" and give them to people for whom you are thankful. We bought four boxes of cookies, ate two, and have two to give away. Perfect solution. I can't wait for kids to join scouts (years from now I'm going to be up to my eyeballs in cookies and popcorn and look back on that sentence and roll my eyes).

Hoopla. We just realized our library has Hoopla and we can borrow digital media - ummm awesome! So at the moment we're listening to Disney audio books. C is snuggled up on the floor and Nils is wandering around with Pup-pup and King Julian (his two lovies).

Ingredients. The ingredients we always have on hand? Ingredients for red beans and rice, homemade pizza, pasta, and stir-fry. These are my go-to meals when I don't feel like going to the grocery store. Except that I always forget about stir-fry so we pretty much never have that.

Jimmers. When I went to Beaumont this week the plan was to come back with Jimmers' boyhood dresser aka my childhood dresser aka Nils' new dresser. With Jimmers' help I filled the entire bed of the truck. I came back with the dresser, an awesome ancient trunk, a small table for the backyard, two huge cubbies from my old preschool, and two blue velvet wing-back chairs. Needless to say, Chris was surprised.

Katie. Oh thank God for Katie. Katie is the first friend I made after we moved here and she is fabulouso. We have kids around the same age and they all love each other so that works out nicely. Nils talks about her boys pretty much all of the time. Last Friday while our husbands were at Dio Council Katie had us over for pizza and ice cream and when bedtime came I tossed my kiddos into pjs and one out of two fell asleep on the drive home. Since Friday every single time we've gone anywhere at all Nils has cheered "Cooper and Charlie's house!" and is disappointed ("ooohhh") when we pull into anywhere that isn't their house.

Lent. The day before Ash Wednesday this year I was still like, "Oh yeah... Lent... I don't feel like it this year" but then I recalled that Lent is about remembering that I am not the Creator. I am the creation. So, perhaps the years when I'm "not into it" are the most important years of all. Perhaps those are the years when I most need to remember that I am not God. So, I'm doing it. Lent, that is.

My mom. I'm in the mood for my mom to come visit. We can go thrift-storing and hang up pictures in my house and rearrange furniture and watch chick flicks. Come over, Mom! It will be fun fun fun!

Nils. That little guy is hilarious. Like, purposely hilarious. Yesterday evening the kids went to the neighbors' house to play. I made dinner with our back door open and listened to the squeals of happiness coming from the yard next door. Being old enough to go play with the kids next door? What fun for all of those kiddos!

Oatmeal. My current breakfast. Old fashioned oats, a sprinkling of chocolate chips, and a spoonful of peanut butter all stirred together. Yum.

Piney Wood Fever. We came back from Beaumont with sore throats and itchy eyes. Why is that always the case when it's the same eco-system? Carolena walked through the kitchen yesterday and said in a croaky voice, "Well, it feels like I've got the Piney Woods Fever." Ha! Piney Woods Fever! That kid. From henceforth all southeast Texas allergies shall be known as "Piney Woods Fever."

Quest. I'm on a quest to find a bicycle built for two. Not a quest like I'm looking online and going to buy one for a couple hundred dollars quest. A quest like I'm checking Goodwill often and hopefully this quest will end with me paying like $50 and laughing manically every time I ride it that someone marked it $50. That kind of quest. I'm also on a quest for vintage hats. 

Rush. I'm really excited about our birthday present for my nephew Rush this year. I had to clear it with my sister, but if you don't want me to ruin the surprise then stop reading. Ready? A jar of worms. Hahaha. Really. Yeah. I think I'm going to make one for us too. I'm going to put layers of dirt into a big jar (with holes in the lid, of course) and then fill it with worms. It's going to be awesome. Don't you wish I were your aunt too?

See America First. Oh my gosh - while at my parent's house my mom gave me a big trunk with a See America First sticker on it. I'm giddy. See America First?! That trunk must be like 100 years old. I wonder who put that sticker on it. I wonder where they went. My RPTS side is geeking out.

Too damn early. Why are my kids waking up too damn early everyday?! Stay in bed! Sleep! Geeze Louise.

Under our bed. We have more things stored under our bed than under my bathroom sink. That seems strange to me.

Vacuum. Yep, we got a new one. Again.

Walrus. "Carolena, if I didn't know any better I would think you were a baby koala" I said to which she innocently replied, "Mommy, if I didn't know any better I would think you were a big fat walrus swimming in the sea." Evidently if you are 4.5 then baby koala and big fat walrus are comparable in the list of okay things to call another human.

X - x was Carolena's letter of the week this week and she brought in a T-Rex. We thought and thought and thought about what to bring. The morning her letter bag was due we still had nothing for it... until I tripped over the T-Rex, picked that sucker up, and tossed him in the bag. Thanks Carolena's school homework guardian angel!

Yesac. That's my backwards name. Amileen and I used to love figuring out how to pronounce everyone's names backwards in elementary school. Huh, Amileen is now probably what you think her name was... it was Neelima. Or was it...? Now you're confused... bwa ha ha!

Zoo! Tomorrow is my birthday and we're going to spend the day at the zoo. I can't wait. I love my birthday (yeah, I'll admit it) and I'm going to live it up. I was going to start the day with bootcamp, but alas, I guess I'll start the day some other way. I'm definitely getting Starbucks though. Probably. Maybe. Eh... I'll just make coffee at home. And then we're going to the zoo! Hooray! The zoo is one of our family's favorite outings. Everyone has a blast. We get to be outside. Kids are consistently well-behaved there. Zoo! Zoo! Zoo!

Nuggets from Nils

Nuggets from Nils
by Nils

If you are innocently running around on top of the furniture and take a huge tumble onto the ground all of the adults nearby might gasp. Jump to your feet and scream, "SEE that?!?!" and then attempt to do it again. And again. And again. Each time try to make the fall bigger and scream, "SEE that?!" Expect praise and adulation for your daring and bravado. Mommy will probably scold you for treating her furniture so horrendously. Moms know nothing about spectacular falls.

The best way to eat cereal is with milk and a spoon resting casually in the bowl just for show. Insist on getting your own spoon (touch every utensil you can while the drawer is open) and then carefully arrange it in your milky cereal just so. Proceed to eat your cereal with only your fingers, slurping the milk with a cupped hand. Yum!

If you want to impress your friends SING. Sing loudly. Sing often. Make up words or hum if you can't remember the lyrics. Sing sing sing. Sing such happy songs that your teachers write in "singing" on your comment cards even though singing isn't on the list.

Rely on your cuteness to get you out of trouble. Carolena insists that you should rely on sass. She's wrong. Cuteness is the key. Get out of bed after being tucked in and walk straight up to Mommy. She'll stare you down. Shoot her a "gee, aren't I cute?" kind of smile and a shrug. She's wrapped around your finger. You know she thinks you're adorable. Actually... that frown is kind of scary... and now she's using the stern serious Mommy-voice... ahhh! Run away! Run away! Bed is better! Bed is better! Whew, okay. Neither sass nor cuteness work... back to the drawing board.

Friday

I'm currently reading Touch the Top of the World - the firsthand account of a blind man who is a mountain climber and the only blind person to have summited Everest. He also climbed the Seven Summits. So, yeah, he's basically my new hero. I found a signed copy at Goodwill, and as that sounds right up my alley, I of course tossed it in my cart. I'm totally sucked in - it is fabulous and fascinating. Weihenmayer lost his vision just before high school so he talks about what it was like and how he got into mountain climbing. The thing that makes the book so insanely good isn't that Weihenmayer talks so frankly about losing his eyesight, or even that he is so inspirational - it's that he's just so freaking likable as a person. Fabulous book.

Speaking of vision, Chris and I had a lunch date this week! What fun! Kids were at school and we met up at the eye doc to pick new glasses for Christophe. We were successful (too successful as I also picked out a new pair for myself and wore them around for a while. I'm thinking about going back to get them. They may or may not be basically a pink version of something similar to what I have now. PINK!! Oh, I love them) and then we went out for lunch. I think we need more lunch dates in the future. I'll wear my (yet to be purchased) pink glasses.

We bought a bike helmet for Nils this week and the kids and I rode bikes in the cul de sac. Well, they did. I don't have a bike so I just hung out and helped Nils. I think I'm going to ask Santa to bring me a tandem bike next year. Can't you picture me and Chris on a bicycle built for two? Yeah, me neither... we rarely fight but I have the feeling that would draw it out. Eh... worth it. Goodwill shoppers of the world keep your eyes peeled: Casey wants a tandem bike!

Yesterday I saw a baggie full of ashes on our kitchen counter and the thought immediately came to mind, "uh, why is a cremated person on our counter? That is so going to get lost" and then I quickly remembered the day before was Ash Wednesday. Whew. I thought Chris had lost his mind.

We got one of these things and set it up yesterday. Chris hung upside down by his legs on it. I was impressed and tried but chickened out. Turns out my dream to join the circus when I go back to work might not be the best option for my talents (or lack thereof).

Well, I just got home from bootcamp so I'm off to drink more coffee. It's spring weather outside so I'm feeling upbeat and carefree and thus my coffee intake has increased drastically. I'm okay with that seeing as how Chris will be out of town for the weekend and I'll have two little monkeys to keep up with all on my own. Wish me luck!

Super Weekend (see what I did there... like Super Bowl but who cares about football)

Universal Law of Motherhood: when a child wakes a mother up before her alarm goes off that mother gets to drink one extra cup of coffee per twenty minutes of lost sleep.

That means today I'm looking at two extra cups.

We went to a birthday party at Build-A-Bear this weekend and Carolena may have had one of the best days of her life. It was right up her alley and she immediately announced that she too will have a Build-A-Bear birthday... you know... a million months from now when it's actually her birthday.

So, I spent yesterday morning creating a nap mat, skirt, and dress for her new Build-A-Bear puppy.
And sitting at the kitchen table with my new book (Illustration School: Let's Draw Cute Animals). I'm addicted. I wonder if they have some sort of anonymous group for being addicted to such a thing.

Yesterday I heard the magical words, "Enjoy the quiet house!" as Chris and the kids hopped out to go check on his new fish at work. I, very wisely, spent the time with my new drawing book and Mr. Toad. A sequel not written by the author of the first book is certainly open to some skepticism... but wow... Mr. Horwood did it. The Willows in Winter is fabulous. A keeper for sure.

AND Carolena and I had a "just the girls" outing yesterday. Lunch at Chick-Fil-A (her choice) and a trip to the mall. C got two dresses and a cute pair of Converse which came with a handshake that she would learn to tie them. She kept her part of the deal and worked on it when we got home... but teaching a lefty to tie her shoes evidently confounds me and we might have to bring in an expert for shoe tying lessons (*ahem*UncleTrent!*ahem). After shoes and dresses we hit up Claire's. Ohh yeahhh. At one point C screeched in happiness, "I found a locket!!! Just like in Annie. I didn't know these were real! I thought it was just in Annie!"

So now she owns a $7 locket.

I finally managed to hang out with one of my very favorite people (we rarely get to see one another due to schedules). We got casually dressed up (as in nice shoes with jeans) and went out to eat. Mom heaven. Well, except for when she told me her family's quest to move into the country has finally come to fruition and they'll be moving before next school year. An hour and a half away. At the time I was caught up in her excitement (and still am), but it hit me when I got home and I cried. My very best friend in Katy is moving. I think this is an okay time for an "oh shit" except that I am so insanely happy for her that if it fell through I would be sad and disappointed. Plus, now I will be able to go visit her cool farm house and her future chickens and such. Life was awesome back when she and I used to be able to hang out several times a week though.

Last night I fell asleep in front of the fire (it's okay, Chris was awake as it was like 740) and am starting the day with those two extra cups o'joe on the horizon thanks to Nils. So, yeah, I'd say today looks promising.

The Five Best Words

Contrary to what one might think the five best words a woman can hear from her husband are not, "I love you so much" or "you look so incredibly beautiful" or even "you are so insanely smart." I mean, don't get me wrong, those are wonderful. But... I mean...


The five best?

"I just cleaned the bathroom."


"I'll make dinner this week."


and... perhaps the best of all... in response to Mommy's announcement that she's going to go take a shower: "Let's give Mommy some privacy," and then when out and getting ready, "I brought you some coffee."

*sigh* Love. True love.

Why Is It Always the Beths?

Alternate post title: The Beth's Have It.

One of my very favorite people in the whole world is my friend Beth. She's awesome. A different Beth than the last one.

I met this Beth sporadically at random times in the life of the clergy of our diocese. She's an Episcopal priest and I'm married to one so we ran into one another from time to time. She knew Chris well and so we would be like, "oh yeah. We've met... uh... hi...???'

And then I became the interim missioner of the campus ministry at t.u. 
And Beth became the missioner there.
So we had some overlap while I "taught her the ropes."

Okay, I was supposed to be holding down the fort/teaching her the ropes/helping her transition/etc. But in reality Beth is one of the most intelligent capable go-for-it people I've ever met so she came in and took over (in a great way), and I would come to work at whatever hour I felt like, dump my hugely pregnant self into a chair in my office, eat queso, and read Harry Potter. You would think that this would have made Beth despise me. But it didn't. Now that I know Beth I'm pretty sure this is what made her love me. Had I been super-helpful and in her face and still trying to run the place she would have loathed me. I think the fact that I just let her take over sealed the deal. That combined with and all of the queso and Harry Potter. Being from Virginia Beth swears she has to now eat enough queso in adulthood to make up for the years before she moved to Austin. Yeah, see why we're friends?

Beth and I had no "becoming friends" phase. We went instantly to being BFF. We have a shared love of reading and she is one of the few people who can give me books and I don't feel like "oh crap... do I have to actually read this like homework now?" She is one of those people who can talk about anything. If I want to talk her face off about polar exploration she will listen attentively and (at least pretend) like what I'm saying is as fascinating as I imagine. She is up for an adventure pretty much all of the time so if I say something like "I was reading about Kenya..." she will tell a story about being in Kenya. Or sailing in Maine. Or climbing Mt. Everest during the 1996 disaster. Okay, I made that last one up.

Beth's awesome. And that's why on Sunday I found myself wearing her hand-me-down shirt and groovy patterned tights. Because I'm like the technically older, younger sister she never had. Which might be why she puts up with me.

Luckily we bamboozled her into being Nils' godmother so she's pretty much stuck with me for life.

Happy Groundhog Day!

f you grew up in a home with a father who is the President and Founder of the official Punxsutawney Phil Groundhog Club Republic of Texas Chapter then yeah... Groundhog Day is kind of a big deal.

Punxatawney Phil! Photo from groundhog.org

I get it. Who wouldn't love Groundhog Day?! Just look at that guy. He's going to predict the weather! Pomp and circumstance. A groundhog. A large adorable rodent... who predicts the weather. Does life get any better than that?! Yeah, I definitely get the appeal.

Festivities have been ramping up around here as Carolena started talking about Groundhog Day eons ago. Costumes will be made (with whatever supplies we happen to have on hand as I forgot to ask for brown bags at Kroger yesterday. *sigh* That was half the reason I went in there!). A special dinner will be served. Our "Happy Groundhog Day!" banner will be hung.

Groundhog Day 2015

We're rooting for an early spring but not selfishly. It's been spring here since... uhh... the summer. We don't have many seasons in Tejas.

Groundhog Day 2014

And yes, doubters, I'm correct. It IS Groundhog Day (not Groundhogs' Day). Show Phil some respect.

A happy Groundhog Day to all! And to all an early spring!

Reading, Eating, and Rising (Too) Early

Reading: The Casual Vacancy. I am totally sucked in and spent all of yesterday ignoring my children and reading. I don't feel guilty about that at all... that's how you teach people to love reading isn't it?

Eating: Too much. Ugh. I dread weighing in at WW this week. *sigh* What happened???
Oh, I remember. I switched migraine meds and have been crazy eating every since. Crap.

Coffee: two cups and sometimes a Diet Coke with lunch. What happened???

Amazon recommended this for me this morning: Pass the Tooting Stinky Pig - Funny Hot Potato Farting Dice Game Toy.
I'm speechless. Amazon, do you not know me at all? That seems like something someone would buy for me all the while thinking "Casey will love this. This is so her sense of humor" and I would open it and smile and think, "wow. This person does not know me at all. My feelings are so hurt that they think I would like this" and our friendship would be forever changed in subtle ways because of it. Amazon, that friend is you.

Nils has been waking up before 5am. I blame Chris.
Okay, okay, put down your pitchforks. Here's why: because like a week or two ago Chris said with a sigh, "Neither of our kids have ever come and slept in our bed."
I was like, "umm... yes. We're lucky like that."
To which he responded with "I wish they would. Just wake up during the night and run and hop in our bed and snooze. That would be great."
Me: "No. It wouldn't. That's why parents complain about that."

Fast forward to this morning. 430am Nils in our room.
Me to Chris "I blame you for this."
Chris, "I just want him to do this and not wake us up."
Me, "aaaargh!"