TV

You know that scene in My So Called Life? The one where Angela finally gets over Jordan and she’s dancing in her room while listening to The Violent Fems, she’s wearing shorts and a big old shirt and some flannel and her hair is all wild…I love that scene. I remember watching that scene. I remember watching it as a college student remembering what that feeling was like when I was in high school.
I’m watching the series via netflix. The first five DVD’s have driven me to tears with every episode. As I started the first show a huge smile crept across my face. The memories of watching Angela grow into herself and of me seeing myself in her flooded my mind. The first time I saw the series I was 4 years out of high school living in Ypsilanti. I hadn’t spoken to my school friends for years. This was a choice on my part. I wanted to get out of that time in my life so badly.
In high school I lived next door to my best friend. But at one point she got a boyfriend and things pretty much fell apart. That is one of MANY similarities I had with Angela. There was even a boy who I was friends with who I liked when he didn’t like me and didn’t like when he liked me. I know what you’re thinking; you’re thinking that we all had these circumstances in our lives. And you know what? That’s the beauty of this show! It’s like, relatable.

PIF

OK, one gift is on it's way...if you signed up for the Pay it Forward
post keep your eyes open for a package. Let me know when you get it.

Snow Day!

Well, it snowed last night. The kids have the day off for teacher
development anyway so we're not going to have to make up any summer
days for this one.
I was shocked to discover both kids lounging in their rooms- August
with his DS and Hazel still in her undies drawing a picture. Tank is
the only family member out making tracks in the snow.

Yummy

Last night I escaped the usual Friday night to spend some good ole one
on one time with my friend Rachel. It was a last minute dinner and
movie date where we ate burgers and wached the screen and saved the
best for last. We weren't quite ready to return home so Rachel took
me to B & 0 Espresso for dessert. Why have I never been to this
place? It's open late and serves great sweets.
If you find yourself with the time to spare I'd highly suggest trying
it. You just can't beat ending a night out with a friend on a sweet
note.

Cookies

This is what happens when Trey bakes cookies...notice the number of
chocolate chips per cookie. They looked as good as they tasted.

Ice, Ice Baby

Walking to school this morning was a much needed comic relief. The
six blocks of pavement were covered in a crisp layer of ice. Memories
came flooding back from my childhood when Scott and random other
siblings and I all walked to school regardless of the Chicago temps.
We would tip toe on the frozen puddles wanting to hear the cracking of
the ice.
This morning I watched as my children attempted to crack their own ice
only to tumbe and fall. On one slight incline I giggled as we all
struggled to stay upright. Tank was even having a hard time walking,
he would look up at me with those puppy dog eyes as if he were hurt
that I would dare laugh at his brave walking attempts.
Sadly, the ice has melted and we will return to our boring old
pavement tomorrow...it was fun while it lasted.

Sick in the Sun with Tank

My Girl

So Hazel is 6. She's in Kindergarten. She's had strep 6 times. This is her 2nd time with strep this school year.
I know that when I was a child it was pretty common to have your tonsils taken out if you kept on getting strep. They don't do that any more. Apparently it's important to keep them so that they'll catch the infections...all the while Hazel suffers along.

I'm Just Saying

The weather in Detoit is currently 28 degrees, here in the great city
of Seattle it's 29 degrees and in the town of South Pasadena...47!
I'm just shocked that schools are still open with this layer of ice
we've got over everything. Guess the city is getting used to more
severe weather.

--
Jennifer
http://mygirlhazel.blogspot.com

Aunt Claudia

Family is a mysterious thing. We are born into a unit and grow and experience and love and live with people. These people are bonded to us, but sometimes, much like college room mates, once we move away from them the bond fades. I don't understand it really. My family is now spread out from Michigan with two of us here in Seattle and one out in South Pasadena. The rest of us are still in Michigan. These migrations out West have made things a bit difficult for my parents. They don't get to see the grandkids as much as they'd like and the grandkids miss out on being around my siblings who formed so much of who I am.
I look at my children now and I know that one day they'll move away from home. The bond between us will still be there but it will be a different.
My dad is from a larger family with his siblings living in Florida, Texas, Seattle, and to be honest...I'm not sure where else but I know there is another one out there. I remember being close to one of his brothers. We would travel to his house at Christmas and they'd give all the girls the same gift and all the boys the same gift. We'd always hope to be the first one to open it so we'd be surprised. He has a younger sister who would pop over to our house with her young boys occasionally. I remember her being so hippy-ish, she would rub my face and tell me that I should be a foot model.
With such a big family you'd think holidays would be a grand event. But they weren't. None of them seemed very interested in creating traditions. Keep in mind that this is coming from a child's memory.
About once a year my dad's mother comes to Seattle because her youngest daughter lives out here. We all get together for dinner and sight seeing. This last time she came with another daughter, my aunt Claudia. We were all shocked to see her because she had aged so much over the years. It was a nice visit but Aunt Claudia was visibly uncomfortable.
My memory of Aunt Claudia really are more recent. When my son August was born we had a dedication for him at my mom's church. We planned it so that it would occur during a time when dad's family was in Michigan to celebrate my grandma. They were nice enough to come and wish us well but Aunt Claudia went a step further. She made him a bunny. This bunny was to make the rounds and everyone attending the open house after the dedication was to sign the bunny. It was very sweet.
All these years later August still sleeps with the bunny. When he was old enough I told him what all the words meant and who made him the bunny. He has cherished it.
Late last week we received a phone call telling us that Aunt Claudia had died. It was a sad day. She lived in Texas and now some of her siblings are making the trek across and down to have a memorial service for her. I hope they talk about when she was young and how she played with each of them. I hope they talk about her love for children and how she'd go the extra mile to make them feel special.
I can't imagine losing a brother or sister. I can't imagine losing a son or a daughter. I can't imagine that bond being broken forever. Family is so strong.

10 in 10 on the 10th

Month one:

Oh it's coming!

I'm going on a date tonight...I'll download the photos from today when I return.

10 on the 10th

So I was poking around on line and checked in on my cousin's ever growing family, then over to AK's blog to see if she's posted any new knitting projects (love the hat!!!), then over to T to see how her second work week is shaping up (must be a busy one...), had to of course check in on Amy to see if she's posted any news- I know she just got a cute hair cut...but nope, nothing new yet...one day she'll have time to post (or Scott could guest post.........) and on and on I went through all my Internet friends, just to check in. Everyone seems to be doing well in this new year. Then I popped over to Orange Poppy to see how her life is as a mother of 2 young boys when I read about her new goal. She's going to take a picture every hour for 10 hours on the 10th day of the month. Brilliant! I'm joining up. It'll help me focus on my picture taking and allow you a new view into our daily lives.
Wanna join us?

Poor Puppy

Tank has an infection on his front paw...now he has to wear this
awesome collar. He's so bummed at me.

Oh Come On!

Yes, he jumps around like a crazy beast when people come over, but he does calm down...he may even warm guests feet if needed!







Yes, he follows me around like a an animal shadow, but I've got warm feet when I'm sitting.



This dog is so cute. You've got to admit it!

Snap shot

So today was the kids first day back to school after a L.O.N.G. vacation. Hazel was excited- August, not so much. I spent my day gathering fabric, etc for the PIF event and working out and taking Tank to the dog park.
After school we came right home and started back up with the after school routine of having a snack and doing homework. Once we had accomplished this I went downstairs to the laundry room/sewing room to start a little something. Tank is my constant companion and will follow me anywhere. If he's sleeping on the couch and I get up to go to the bathroom he wakes up, grunts and trots off to find me, so it was not a surprise to see that he had lumbered down the stairs to lay on the floor pillow behind my table. Shortly after this visit, Hazel came down to sit next to me and "organize the pins". She chatted with me about the fabric, the ribbon, the pins, school, Tank, Dot, and much more. I continued to sew and listen when I noticed that August was now sitting on the floor by Tank reading one of his many books.
Now folks, those of you who have not been to my house should know that the laundry room/sewing room is rather small. There's just enough room for the washer and dryer and the Ikea table top for my sewing machine. This was a tight fit. We were all sitting in this small room in the basement of the house. Rooms and rooms were left empty, rooms with comfy couches, or beds, or even rugs. Empty.
I paused for a moment and realized that my children were going through some sort of withdraw. They've been by my side for 14 days straight and today they had to be away from me for 6 whole hours.
I finished up my project, asked Hazel to finish up with the pins and had August let Tank outside. We then all moved upstairs to start dinner, where we would sit together and eat a meal.

Flick this!

Christmas and New Years pictures are up on flicker.

I sure did bend the rules!

I'm trying to gear up for sending out some handmade items, so while the kids were busy this afternoon I busted open that Bend the Rules sewing book. I most definitely bent the rules. Not sure if this is what the tote bag was supposed to look like but here it is regardless.




Hazel is pleased as punch to have a new "Going to the Library book bag"











Off she goes, to read the Eric Carl books I put in the bag. She's so easy to please sometimes.

Inspiration from a Far Friend

I've been posting a bunch but haven't really been spending much time poking around to check on my far away friends. So tonight, while the boys read in August's room and Hazel snoozed, I read up on your lives. A lot has happened out there folks. Too much really to talk about here.
It's a new year and many of you have turned new leaves, exposed new sides of yourselves, made new commitments. It's inspiring really. I'm still working on this whole new year thing. I think the transition of having the kids back in school will allow me to do a bit of reflecting.
In the mean time, I'm going to take a page from Melissa's book and join her in a bit of a pay it forward thing.
The first 3 folks who comment on this post will receive a handmade gift from me. I can't promise how quickly said gift will arrive in your mail box as I'm breaking through weeks of un-productivity but a hand made gift you shall have. There's a catch though- you've gotta do the same. You've got to make 3 handmade gifts to send out to the first three signer uppers.
Ready?
Set?

The End is Near

Welp folks, we're nearing the end of this vacation. I'm not going to lie, it's dragged on and on. The kids go back to school on Monday and Hazel as been asking to go back since Wednesday.
We've successfully stayed busy and had some good times.
Today we woke up early (9:00) to get some last minute things done before the weekend. I dropped off my passport paperwork for a trip Trey and I are taking in June for our 10 year anniversary. Used my last two checks to cover the cost and continued on with the list of things. Drove to our old neighborhood to visit with Rachel and Francis when my phone rang with news that I had written the check for the wrong amount. CRAP! Rachel was kind enough to keep the kids while I attempted to get more checks from the bank...nope...10 days to get em. I then called the office and asked if they thought I could just cross off the wrong word (it was written for 65 instead of 67) and initial it. They were pretty sure it would be OK. So I headed back to Lake City to correct my error. Whew! Done and done.
While we were in our old neck of the woods the kids and I stopped at a locally owned pet store. There was a super cute puppy hanging out so Hazel was in Heaven. They ended up having the exact crate we've been looking for for the back of the car (surprise Trey!). We recently sold our minivan and got a vw wagon. We're very happy with how we all fit. Tank is so happy with his new digs in the back and I'm so happy with the being able to drive around with the dog stuck in the back.
We're having another sleep over with Francis. The boys can currently be found in August's room playing DS. I'm going to start our VERY LAST Christmas movie of the season in about 15 minutes. Hazel is hanging out with me in the living room watching Jeopardy.

hey there Yakima

So just like my friend AK, I am able to see who's been looking at my blog on a daily basis- Hi Dana, Hey Tania, Hey Grandma Klier and Grandpa Klier, How's it going Scott? Nice to see you Trey! What's up Sara?
Anyway, I'm noticing that there has been someone out in Yakima checking in every so often. I'd love to meet you, or do I already know you? Drop me a note next time you visit.

Yesterday

Holy Cow!
OK. So we went to the Seattle Center and ended up ice skating. It was fun. The kids went around and around and August was pretty confident considering he'd never been on the ice. We went with Jonah and Aunt Kat.
Jonah is about Hazel's age and his been a friend of the family for years. My sister used to nanny for him and now she does yoga with him. Hazel and Jonah have a very special connection and they try to spend as much time as they can together but with Hazel in school now that time has been limited. So we made sure that the kids could get together during the break.
About 20 minutes into our skate date a woman approached Kat and requested that she remove Jonah from the ice as it was not OK to have a stroller or wheelchair on the rink. Kat was obviously upset and began to argue with the attendant. Hazel was hanging onto the stroller at this point and when she heard what the woman was saying she immediately began to cry uncontrollably. Hazel has a great ability to cry on cue. It really amped up the frustration factor...and drew a bunch of attention. At one point Kat yelled something like, "well, I guess we've got to get off the rink because they won't let handicapped people skate here!!!" At that moment I was attending to my emotional daughter and trying to calm my also emotional sister. I looked up and saw the principal of the kids school walking up with his family. He had no idea what he was walking into. I tried to explain the situation without emotion so as not to get anyone else upset. He offered to get involved, he offered to carry Jonah around the rink, he offered to leave the establishment. All of which I thanked him for but asked him to enjoy his afternoon with his family while we got our money back and went to the fountain.
Hazel recovered nicely once she was given the opportunity to run off her nervous energy.
Kat recovered when she brought Jonah home and told his parents about the afternoon. Jonah's parents recovered when they called the ice rink and set up a meeting to change the rules.

Fountain

After the ice rink (which I'll tell you more about later) we went down
to the Seattle fountain where the kids enjoyed running as close as
they could get to the shoots of water without getting wet. We haven't
spent much time just running around outdoors, it was nice to see them
being silly.

Ice Skating

Met up with Aunt Kat to skate downtown. They were playing the Charlie
Brown Christmas CD, it was great.

On the twelfth day of vacation

I'm trying to get the kids back into waking up when I want them to...not going so well today. August is still slumbering while Hazel is cuddling with Trey. I'm up and buzzing around the house with a list of things to do today, which includes taking some student art work down to the Seattle Center House to hang up for the Reflections Program. I thought it would be fun to either go to the Science Center or the Aquarium while we were down in that area...adding that to the list. Kat is going to bring Jonah downtown to meet us so the kids can hang together.
Hazel is ready to go back to school. She's in the habit of asking how many more days till school? She's pleased as punch that we're finally down to one hand.
Later today the kids are going to AK's house for a sleep over. It's perfect timing really. We've been talking about the kids going over there for a while now but this works out just great. Trey has to be at the airport at 5 in the morning tomorrow, with the kids doing a sleep over I'll be able to crawl out of bed without having to worry about how the kids will face the day that early. August and Hazel are very, very excited about it. Hazel has her quilted bag (thanks to my mom) all packed and well, August is still snoozing.
Having the kids with AK will give me some time with Trey this evening. He's had this whole time off with the kids which has been wonderful. I'm excited to sneak away with him for dinner and maybe a movie tonight. I'd love to see either Juno or Sweeney Todd. Has anyone seen these yet? I've heard great things about Juno...but haven't heard anything about Sweeney.

Happy New Year West Coasters