baseball season, better known as the I-55 rivalry

Is this the face of a true-blue Cubs fan taking a bite out of the Cardinals? Or is this the face of a red-blooded Cardinal fan enjoying the sweet taste of victory? You decide, his parents can't.

leafy greens are good for you, right?

indiana!

We surprised Grace when we picked her up from school on Friday by telling her we weren't going home. Instead, we'd be going to Indiana. Her reply, "Indiana?! What?! Why?!"

Well, why not?

We headed to Indianapolis and scored ourselves a deal off Priceline. We stopped at what Jimmy affectionately refers to as "Jimmy Johns about my Pancakes" for dinner in a fine city called Terre Haute (we're still unclear as to the correct pronunciation). Our verdict on the IHOP - we're clueless as to why Grace and Jimmy love it so much.


Onward and upward, we finally find our hotel and immediately do what all kids do when they arrive in a hotel room well past bedtime:


After sleeping in and our breakfast buffet repast, we trekked even farther North to the land of West Lafayette, Indiana, home of the home of the Boilermakers - Purdue University. Turns out we timed our trip perfectly to coincide with their Spring Fest. Big on engineering, sometimes basketball, and always Agriculture (with a capital 'A'), Purdue puts on a terrific festival. There were cows to milk, chicks (chicken, duck, and turkey varieties) to hold, roach races to watch, and goldfish races to participate in. There were crafts, snacks, mimes, and lovely people watching.

Jimmy with a [chicken] chick, Gracie with a [turkey] chick


Evidently milking a cow was a life-changing event, Grace has decided to be 'THE farmer's wife' when she grows up so she can milk the cow. Makes me wonder if she thinks THE farmer is going to be as cute and nice as this guy was...

Jimmy was so excited to see these BIG rockets!

Its just so fun to run oneself ragged at a festival.

We drove through Urbana/Champaign and Arcola, Illinois on the way home. Turns out Arcola is a delightfully quaint town on the outskirts of a large Amish community and is the Broomcorn Capital of the World. We dined at the Dutch Kitchen. Not only was dinner delicious - they had homemade pie (hard to beat that)!

This little jaunt proved to us that we really can make it across the country together on a road trip, actually have fun, and get much needed sleep. We'll just have to take it one day at a time.

where have we been!?!

London?

Paris?

Boston?


Somewhere else amazing?
Write your guess in the comments and I'll fill you in tomorrow.

Just to clarify, 2 of these pictures were taken by me and one by Nate, all of which were taken on the same trip.

spring is springing

The children managed to keep their chocolates and jelly beans off their Sunday clothes to get some cute pictures of them. In case you are interested in seeing some seriously sugared-up kids, they are posted here:

On Easter we made a deliciously delightful lemon cake. It was so good, it would be a crime not to share it with you.

Lemonade Layer Cake
adapted from ‘Cooking Light’

Cake:
1 1/3 cups sugar
6 tbsp butter, softened
1 tbsp lemon zest
3 tbsp lemonade concentrate, thawed
2 tsp vanilla extract
3 large eggs
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
½ tsp baking soda
1 ¼ cups buttermilk

Preheat oven to 350.

Place first 5 ingredients in a large bowl, beat with a mixer on medium speed until well blended. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.

Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with knife. Into a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda; stir well with a whisk. Add flour mixture to sugar mixture alternately with buttermilk; beginning and ending with flour mixture, beat well after each addition.

Pour batter into 2 (9-inch) round cake pans (which have been lined with parchment paper rounds and coated with cooking spray). Sharply tap pans once on counter to remove air bubbles in batter. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted into center comes out clean. Cool in pans for 10 minutes. Then remove to wire racks to cool completely.

Frosting:
4 tbsp butter, softened
2 tsp grated lemon zest
2 tsp lemonade concentrate, thawed
½ tsp vanilla extract
8 oz cream cheese (we use Neufchâtel, the 1/3-less-fat cream cheese)
3 ½ cups powdered sugar

Place the butter and next 4 ingredients into a large bowl; beat with a mixer on high until fluffy. Add powdered sugar and beat at low speed until blended (do not over mix). Chill 1 hour. Then proceed to frost your cake!

We served it with a simple strawberry sauce (fresh strawberries blended with a little lemon juice and a little powdered sugar).

egg-cellent

12 minutes

Twelve minutes is all the time one needs to fall hard and fast asleep on a gloomy Monday afternoon and find oneself jolted awake by the resident three year old who was supposed to be playing/resting/napping/reading/whatever-as-long-as-its-quiet-and-in-his-bedroom. In these particular twelve minutes he managed to unwrap all the chocolate lambs left by the Easter bunny; play with cars and trains upstairs, downstairs, and on the stairs; turn on the TV and peruse the fine selection (ie way too many) VHS tapes that are currently in our house.

Happy Easter

Calgon, take me away

For those of you wondering what we're doing that's so exciting it is preventing me from blogging - well the truth is there is not much worth blogging about. We're in the process of selling our house. Selling one's house signifies change. For those of you who know me rather well know I really am not too keen on change. Also, Jimmy has recently decided napping would not be on his daily agenda. This would be fine except for the wee little fact that he is then completely exhausted around 4:30. This complicates the transition time between school and dinner. Nate had been MIA for a while (meaning the hospital sucked him up and and took a long time spitting him back out each day (or maybe even the next day). Thankfully his schedule changed this week and already things are tremendously better. We're T-minus 10 weeks here, and I guess its time to get crackin'! Grace recently told me, "Don't worry Mom, everything is better in California." I'm trying to believe her!

Some other fine wisdom of the day (this comes from Nate directed to Grace): "If you have to take a breath during the punchline [of your joke], its just not funny."

mama, want some more please

This fully explains Jimmy's approach to nutrition.

april fools

The only true April Fools prank I had yesterday was from Grace. She calmly informed me I had a bunch of spiders in my hair when we got in the car after school yesterday. Ummm, ha ha. So funny to someone at the ripe ol' age of seven, I suppose. I just wish what the mechanic told us about Nate's car yesterday was an April Fools!

welcome to the jungle

No school this fine sunny day. Two children with lots of time to occupy. What is one to do?

In the wilds of Chesterfield lay a treasure beyond compare, a "jungle about butterflies."

The take-charge girl took her field guide and led us through the tropical heat (85 degrees with matching humidity).

Species were examine closely.

While an amazing variety of butterflies were seen, the Blue Morpho was the star (y'see its March Morpho Mania at the Butterfly House, its a kind of butterfly twist on March madness only there are no brackets and no losers and no betting (well usually)).

(I am happy to report no butterflies were harmed during this expedition.)

Grace and James, Butterflytologists Extraordinaires

baa-ha-ha

This was brought to my attention from my favorite neighbor who now lives in Boston. I'm one that admires animals from afar and this certianly meets my qualifications.

looking sharp

A Chicago street photographer captured this back in 1941 just a year or so before these two were married. My grandma likes to point out that even back then her "mouth was going" (ie she always has something to say). I think my grandpa looks rather dashing.

Chief

92 is a big number, especially when it is one that is used when counting years. Grandpa Chuck would have turned 92 next month. A restaurant he and Grandma used to go to would give you a percentage off your bill if you ate there on your birthday (so if you were 50 that day they'd give you 50% off, if you were 6 that day they'd give you 6% off - I think you get the picture). Grandpa was looking forward to the day they'd have to pay him to eat there! He got close, that's for sure!

Grandpa was a Navy man through and through. He'd be more than happy to answer to 'Chief' any day. He and Grandma were married for more than 65 years. He was a hard worker and could fix just about anything. He loves to tell about the rescue missions he's been on. They are pretty incredible.

One of my favorite stories he would tell was of when he and Grandma were dating. They would go to an ice cream parlor and share a milkshake or an ice cream soda. They would sit real close together and he would pinch her straw to make sure he got as much milkshake as he wanted! I loved it.

Grandpa passed away this morning. I think I miss him already. Perhaps a milkshake is in order.

random-mess

Its been too many days since I've last written. Here are things in no particular order that have a). been going on, b). have made me happy, or c). I just think you should know:

• Its been more springy than wintery here and I love it. I know it isn't here to stay just yet, but I have shoots coming up in the front, there are buds on the trees, and I've been to the park a couple of times.
• Nate took his last major-all-day exam of residency. The next big test is Boards which will take place in about a year from now. He wore his testing pants and I'm pretty sure I'm going to have to frame them and hang them in his office some day.
• Jimmy has been saying many very funny things, I think I'm going to have to start a column on the side of the blog for him similar to 'Grace-isms.' If anyone has a good name for that, let me know.
• DWTS started last night. I celebrated with a big bowl of popcorn. Do you pop your corn on the stovetop or the micro. If' you've never tried stovetop popping, click here for a good recipe (and eliminate the rosemary).
• I got to hold a brand-new 8 hour-old baby!! So cute, so sweet, so happy to hold him and then go home to my babies who are no longer babies. Another friend of mine will be having her brand-new baby in the next couple of weeks. I'm pretty excited for her (well and for her husband too).
• I found one of my favorite Agatha Christie books and its been so long since I've read it I can't remember what happens next. (I'm sure it'll be finished by the time I go to bed tonight, but it still makes me happy).
• I am not as freaked out about selling our house as I have been. There still is much to be done, but I feel good about the whole thing.
• Some friends told us about a website where you can order prescription glasses (including lenses) starting around $12 (with only a $4.95 shipping charge!) We're going to give it a whirl. Check back in a few weeks to see how its going.

little miss sunshine

Yesterday - Freezing with frigid, brisk wind

Today - Sunny, bright, breezy, birds were even singing

Yesterday - Grumpy, stressed, overwhelmed with all that must be done to sell the house and move

Today - Happy, actually enjoying myself, far-less tension in my shoulders

What a difference a day makes! And also an attitude. One main problem for me is seeing how all of this will possibly come together. I now accept that it is not all in my hands (nor in Nate's and certainly not G or J!). We feel strongly moving to SD is the thing we should do and that the time has come to say goodbye to STL.

It is said that faith precedes the miracle. So today I put my heavy winter blanket away. It is starting to be spring here, at least in my house.

zoology basics

J: "What those owls over there?"

Me: "Umm, what owls?"

J: "Those ones, those ones. Oh Mama, they's chickens!!!!!"

J: "Bak, Bak, Baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaak! Ha ha, I sound a chicken!"

Incidentally, you and I might refer to the "owls" or the "chickens" as pigeons. But really, what do we know?

the numbers of art

Today J and I joined our friend, Kara, at the St. Louis Art Museum (creative name, huh?). This was their first free day of the new exhibit, "Court Arts of China's Ming Dynasty."

Before entering the museum, Jimmy was very impressed with a sculpture, "Oh, it muss be a sculture...statue!" I thought perhaps he may be showing signs of interest in art.

Once we were in the exhibit (which was full of not only art, but serious adults appreciating the art) Jimmy discovered Numbers. Some displays were numbered (and for some reason some were not), he could not get over the numbers. "Oh Mama, it muss be numbers. What number is it?" Some of my answers he accepted, "Oh, right. Muss be six." And sometimes he didn't. "Oh iss eeleaben and two I's!! Mama, iss two I's!!!" The more thrilled he was with his discovery the louder he became.

So perhaps he'll lean more towards math than art? Time will tell. Also I should mention he refused to wear his shoes. Was he thinking of the Chinese custom of removing one's shoes before entering someone's home? Or was he just being stubborn?

I am not a poet

Jimmy has a racing car bed.
You'd think this is where he'd like to lay down his head.
He'd rather, I gather, sleep on the floor,
Or with his keester up against the door.

Today he chose not to nap
This did not make me want to clap.
On route home from school, he seemed to change his mind
This makes me think bedtime may not be too far behind.

So until I can convince him to wake
Slumber and sleep is what he'll make.
I wish he would choose to lay down his head
During nap time on his racing car bed.