So last evening we were playing catch, such as it was, in the family room. Mostly this involved gently tossing or rolling the ball to one of the girls and them tossing it wildly in our direction.
Roper tosses it to me and I toss it back, playing monkey in the middle with Julie. This goes on for a couple of minutes and Katie bursts out "Guys, You're not sharing."

We lost it at that point.

GHR

So, there was this package that I needed to get into the mail today. And I needed to shop as we're having a few folks over tomorrow. The girls had been running around in the yard since it was sunny and fairly mild. They were still rowdy as we visited the Post Office and traversed the Jewel. I bought a bunch of evergreen bows for the Advent Wreath, and Katie picked up a bunch of peach colored tea roses. Since I promised a treat if they were good we also got some cookies (our Jewel has an excellnt bakery.) As it was still sunny and mild I decided to stop off at the cemetery where my parents are buried to say the prayers I didn't get a chance to say on All Souls' Day. The cemetary isn't far, but I managed to be stopped by two freight trains and Katie was getting restless, yelling and trying to unbuckle her harness.
I said my prayers and as an addendum I asked, "Ma, she's making me crazy today, what do I do?"
We did a quick drive-by of my grand parents and Aunt Kathleens's graves and headed home, Katie still complaining bitterly. We got stopped by another freight train and I suddenly noticed it was quiet. I looked over my shoulder and Katie was asleep. This isn't too unusual, but she generally wakes up when we pull into the garage. This time, she barely stirred as I picked her up and set her in daddy's big chair and dropped a throw over her.
Julie, who is slowly becoming resistant to naps, happily followed me upstairs to her room, walked over to the crib ad pointed. I asked her if she wanted a nap and she nodded vigorously.
So, they're both asleep and I am having a greatly needed break.
Thanks, Ma.

GHR

Roper is off to Chambanacon. Julie is down for a nap. And Katie is watching The Penguins of Madagascar. I signed on briefly to look up a friend's address as I need to get her Advent calendar in the mail tomorrow. Then I will finish taking out the garbage and recycling. jeff_duntemann is coming for dinner.
It is my plan this weekend to start putting up the Christmas decorations.
Wish me luck.

GHR

I could give thanks for the usual stuff, sturdy house, loving friends and family, etc, (And I do, every day,) but there are other things.

I'm grateful for Dr. Ramana and his nurses. The girls have been blessedly healthy, but I'm happy to have kind, patient folks looking out for them.
I'm grateful for the folks at the pediatric urgent care in Dublin,OH who put 4 stitches in Katie's eyebrow on a Sunday afternoon in such a calm and matter of fact way that she was calm and matter of fact, too. (And for a good friend that came with and kept us all calm and matter of fact.)
I'm grateful for Dr. Weiss, who keeps an eye on me and said "Come back in six months."
I'm grateful I live in a country and culture that allows and encourages different views. And I'm grateful for the folks who express their views in a calm and respectful manner.

And now I must go and make Hawaiian Salad. And restring a car seat.

Oh, yeah, I'm grateful for all of you.
Happy Thanksgiving, Everybody!

To the AMAZING museinred!

And Many More!

Good luck with the semester crunch.

GHR

Writer's Block asks "What scene from a movie, book, or play would you most want to recreate in real life?"

I've always wanted to be in a pie fight.
It strikes me that I am not alone. I'll bet somebody could throw a whopper of a fund raising event by holding a pie fight. All you would need is an outdoor venue like a stadium and some baked-goods company to sponsor with the pies. Charge everybody $20 or so to get in and let'r rip.

GHR

Ok, here's the problem. We have tickets for the matinee of the Adams Family this Saturday.
My regular babysitter had her work schedule changed out from under her and can't sit after all.

So, I either need a sitter from noon to about six or somebody to take my ticket off my hands.

Any suggestions?

GHR

I seem to have picked up a cold. It's mostly stuffy head and a sore throat from drainage. I'm hoping tea and soup will keep me lubricated 'till it leaves. Julie has a runny nose and Katie has a cough, so maybe we're sharing a cold.

OVFF was nice. Katie loved Kidspace. The only down side was the four stitches to close the cut in Katie's eyebrow from running into one of the console tables in the long hallway to the function rooms. She was very brave through the whole thing. lindaneely was indispensable on the trip to the urgent care. She kept both girls entertained in the waiting room and minded Julie when katie was getting the stitches.

Halloween was fun despite very few Trick-or-treaters. billroper took Katie around the neighborhood and she picked up a good haul, but Julie, who was supposed to go too woke up from her nap grumpy and refused to wear her cute little dragon suit. She stayed home with me and we watched "Heffalump Halloween".

My Friend V just had eye surgery and has to spend two weeks looking down. Roper is going to mind the girls this evening while I go over for a visit. It's half price pizza night at Solarno's, so I'm bringing a pepperoni and mushroom thin crust.

I have a new icon. There is this wonderfully eccentric Disney cartoon show called Phineas & Ferb. One of the minor characters is a short, brownhaired girl with glasses. I recently discovered her name is Gretchen. So there she is.

And now, it's time for Jeopardy.

GHR

Has been a total perfect waste.
If I wasn't so annoyed with myself, I'd be proud of it.

GHR

Went to the oncologist yesterday. It's a little over two years since surgery. Dr. W said everything looks fine, come back in six months. Happy Day!
On the other hand, so to speak, I did something to my right hand a week or so ago and caused the tendinitis to flair up. So I've been wearing my brace. It's a little aukward, and I have to take it off for diaper duty and hand washings, but it is feeling much better.
Today is lots-o-laundry day preparatory for the ovff trip.
And some shopping. And as it looks to be the last nice day for a while I want to take the girls outside. Katie has acquired some sidewalk chalk so we are entering the era of the technicolor driveway.

So, how have you been?

GHR

Anybody out there have any experience with MSG making kids nutso?
The girls were both wild things all day today. They did not have an unusual amount of sugar. They both slept the usual amount. The only thing out of the ordinary was the Chinese carry-out we had for dinner Wednesday.

I'm hoping that they will be back to normal tomorrow.

GHR

The drive home was actually quite pleasant despite two unscheduled stops for cookies. The weather was chilly but dry, a serious improvement over the trip down.

All in all it was a good time.
I was expecting a fiasco, but it all turned out all right.
Part of th difference is the hotel layout. Most of the function space is on the third floor. This floor has a large pre-function space fitted out with lots of seating groups. It is just perfect for hanging about and chatting. Conclave is small enough to actually find people. I had a number of nice conversations. There were also a number of kids of an age with Katie. She had somebody to play with. This made her happy. She was also very happy to see "Ecker" (catalana) as was I.
Roper and I were scheduled for a concert Sunday noonish. I was a bit concerned when our babysitter had a health issue and had to leave early, but Roper put together a concert set that concentrated all the songs I participated in at the beginning and we took the girls with. They were fairly well behaved and the audience was friendly and tolerant. Katie even sang along on a song or two. I finally had to take them out only a couple of songs from the end.

The only real down side was the SpaceTime show. It was our twentyith year performing and we pulled some old bits. It was fun to revisit the bits. I especially enjoyed doing "Office Romance" against vorsalaba. But the sparcity of our rehearsals showed and the energy was low.
I'm not enjoying it as much as I used to and I think I need to rethink my life upon the wicked wicked stage.

OVFF is in two weeks , the Windycon is two weeks after that.
After that I think I'm going to get into serious potty-training mode. With both girls. We don't travel again 'till March. It's time.

Well, It's after 1 am. I'm going to bed.

GHR

So the window guys were putting in the window over the door. It's waaaaaayyyy high up. Like 17 feet high. I told the girls that they had to stay far away from the ladders as they could kill someone if the weren't careful. Katie stood on the first stair landing and cautioned, "Man, go down. You could get hurt!"

GHR

The window guys showed up about 8:30. They did the front, a group of six windows, the dining room and two of the bedrooms.
They will be back tomorrow about the same time. It sould take them all week.
Tomorrow I also get to wait for the locksmith. Last evening as we were going out the garage door the lock jammed. Roper took the knobs off, but the innards of the mechanism would not come loose. We decided to avoid inadvertent destruction and pay for expertise. I called Anderson Lock this morning but the had no appointments open for today.

Life is like that.

GHR

So, after lunch, (katie ate almost all of her scrambled egg, Julie didn't eat any, but she devoured her toast,) I said "lets put on our socks and shoes and go outside."
By the time I got back from the kitchen Katie had her socks and shoes on. On the correct feet, even. ALL BY HERSELF!
I had to tighten the velcro, but the rest she did herself.
I'm very proud of her.


GHR

I'm trying to get a pair of pants on her.
She has just tearfully informed me that "pants are SCARY!"

Sigh!

GHR

I think I understand my mood of the last few days a lot better now.
Last night the overt symptoms of a UTI showed up. The fatigue, grumpiness
and achiness I have felt lately could easily be explained by the infection.
I have been to the Dr., peed in a cup and have a prescription.
It will be better, now.

My house is still a pit, but now I have an excuse.

GHR

It is very nice to be sleeping in my own bed.
We left the house in a state of major pittitude.
There is a mountain of laundry to do.

I have to do some serious thinking about traveling with the girls. I didn't have a bad time at Fencon, it was more like a non-time. I saw very little of the con. Most of the time I was in the room with the girls. I am sad and frustrated and lonely.

I know it is all part of being a parent, and it will get better with time. But right now they are too much to handle in a con environment.

We are committed to Conclave, OVFF and Windycon, but after that I may well be off the circuit 'till Duckon (which has awesome childcare.)

Well, Word World is over, It's time to do some laundry.

GHR

It has rained 5 days out of the last 6.
Katie broke her DVD player.
I broke my pocket phone.
Roper and I are sniping at each other.
The girls are stir crazy.
I think we have annoyed Roper's sister in law.

Fencon had better be a real good time.

GHR

So I went to get a cut and color today as my hair was shaggier and grayer than I care to admit. Julie was napping under Roper's care and I took Katie with me. Marlene, my awesome hairdresser, has a 5yo son that spends a lot of time at the shop. So there is a stock of toys that have stayed there for the kids brought along to parents' appointments.
Katie found the brio tracks and a couple of Thomas the Tank Engine pieces and happily made a layout. It didn't connect to itself, but she had a fine time running the engines back and forth.
While i was under the heat lamp I told her we were almost done. Without being asked she gathered up the track and put it all back in the drawer.
As I buckled her in her carseat she asked for a popsicle.
She got it. : )

GHR