jack's point of view

came home from church a few weeks ago and jack took this photo of "dan" and "i" in the kitchen.:) it really amuses me. so, that's his point of view, huh? sweet.

sweet

there are some very sweet moments in life. for example, my little big boy sitting in a tiny recliner hugging his big brother's old teddy, clutching two new testaments and a pac man video game.

valentine banquet '10

dan and i went to the loveliest valentine banquet at Deerwood Baptist Church again this year. romantic ambiance, delicious food, precious friends, beautiful music, and hilarious entertainment. i look forward to it for weeks before! sigh, and now it's over.:) but, spring will be here soon. the meal was catered by Maucieri's. there were appetizers and desserts, too, made by jen and served by young tweens and teens from the church. arnie played the harp and sarah b. played her cello. devon did a hilarious "ole and lena go to the opera show" poem he composed for the occasion, with arnie on harp accompaniment. then jen sang a beautiful song. then arnie and devon played a "classical piano" number.:) arnie was dressed as his character "julio", a mexican who likes soup -- specifically lizard soup his mama makes for him. crazy! anyway, it was absolutely wonderful and i can't wait to see what jen will do next year!!!

jack's friends

i love it that jack has little friends. it is so fun to watch him interact with little ones his own age. you never know what those little buggers will do!:) these boys are brothers from our church, joe and jon. those 3 little blondies look like they could be brothers, don't they? they get into all sorts of shenanigans. i can't wait to see what the future holds for these crazy guys.

that sweater... sigh

i don't think i've blogged about the "shalom cardigan". that sweater i was knitting has turned into a capelet. these things happen. i am ok with that. i really like my new capelet.:) i don't have a photo of it finished, yet, but it pretty much looks like the middle 2 photos. just imagine a shorter version (just a little bit below the arm holes) with a finished edge.

now i just have to find a sweater pattern that would be a better fit for me. something that was supposed to CLOSE in the front would be nice. after all, a sweater is supposed to keep you warm.:) as spring is right around the corner, i guess i will probably not start another sweater right now. coming up for birthdays are my: dad, gram, jack, and bro-in-law jake. hmmmm... interesting possibilities!

what's hot/not

HOT
- annual church valentine banquet. my love, delicious dinner, music, entertainment, ambiance, and tons of friends to chat with? yes please
- flowers and chocolate for valentine's day. you can't go wrong.:)

NOT
- well, this "what's hot/not" business. i'm bored with it. this is my last one. deal with it.:)

bathing beauty

i thought it was high time i took more bath photos of my precious boy. isn't he beautiful? his hair is really long right now, or else i could not have accomplished that fully rad mohawk!

valentine's day '10

dan bought me flowers. i really like them because some are dyed and have glitter on them. my kind of flowers!:)

art

i really like this one because jack's art is so linear.

wal-mart chicken tikka masala

yes. i got a good chicken tikka masala at wal-mart. it was up in the deli-section. it's one of the offerings of a bunch of semi-tempting looking dishes called "marketside". i was sceptical, but seriously, there are no ethnic restaurants around in a good 1 1/2 hour radius. i dared to try. i haven't had much curry, so i am not an expert. maybe you'll try this and tell me what you think? i loved it! not too spicey, but my stomache is now experiencing a slow burn.:)

Ingredients: basmati rice, water, chicken tenders, potato, plain yogurt, onion, heavy whipping cream, tomato paste, oil blend, carrots, green peas, green beans, cultured dextrose, sea salt, garam masala spice blend, tandoori mix (spices, paprika, dehydrated onion and garlic, sea salt, tumeric), garlic, modified corn starch, cilantro, stabilizer (starch, carrageenan, potassium chloride, magnesium carbonate, sugar0, red curry paste (dried chili, garlic, lemongrass, salt, shallot, galangal, shrimp paste, kaffir lime peel, pepper), curry powder, chili powder, paprika, stabilizer (xanthan gum, guar gum), ginger, coriander, annatto, cloves, cinnamon

crazy! what lovely ingredients!!! 3 - 1 cup servings. per serving: 160 calories, 5 grams fat, 25% of your daily allowance of sodium (YIKES!), and 2 grams dietary fiber. very healthy, except for the sodium. i don't remember how much it cost. i will be buying it again. and again.

bad sweater...pretty capelet!

here is a photo of my bad sweater. i will post one of my pretty capelet soon!

what's hot/not

HOT
- sunshine. played outside a bit with jack. inspected some of dan's minnows in a bucket. can't wait for spring!
- "emma" on pbs. such a good movie! i cried at the end. i HATE sappy movies, but don't mind a few tears shed over a really quality movie. i wonder if i need to own it...
- nominated to be on the Church building committee. very excited to serve. hope that my input is useful and respectful. be a good girl, molly!:) and restrain yourself. no one else wants a turquoise kitchen...or do they? muah ha ha!!!!! gold lam`e covered seat cushions in the sanctuary?;) hee hee!

NOT
- my tummy hurts. i think from home baked goods overload. gah! there is such a thing as too much lemon bread/pound cake/blueberry lemon scones. i keep putting more in the freezer.
- pottytraining is my world lately. it is "hit and miss".

jack's kitchen

jack has a hand-me-down kitchen. he loves to make me coffee. "careful! weally hot!" i happily slurp down the thimble-sized cups he gives me and put the cup back on the saucer.

real photos

developed a roll of film today.:) that's the only way i ever get around to developing photos. this photo was from this summer around the time jack fell down and got that gash on his forehead. jack's wearing my butterfly hat and daddy's noise canceling headphones. i really love this photo. it's kind of sci-fi.

what's hot/not

HOT
- "emma" on pbs. and "emma" reruns once (or twice!) a day. holding on until the big conclusion on sunday! then what will i do with my life?:p
- knitting. it's really interesting watching things take shape. but...
- dinner monday night:) baked fish, sundried tomato/basil/mozzarella quiche, garlic mashed red potatoes, beans from my garden. VERY HOT!
- pottytraining. jack is having a lot of accidents. but we had triumphs #1 and #2, literally!!!:)

NOT
- unraveling my sweater. how, HOW, did i get all those can-can ruffles on the bottom? bizarre.
- opening what i thought was pizza sauce last night and discovering it was salsa. (thankfully i had spaghetti sauce to substitute for the pizza sauce! it was very good.)

#2

HUGE DEVELOPMENT in potty training today. wink wink.:) i am so proud. it's just ridiculous how proud. i could feel this big stoopid smile stretched across my face after the deed. and, of course, we had to make a big deal out of it to encourage jack. clapping and whooping and mini candy bar and showing daddy and calling grandma lou! what a crazy fun new phase. well, it wasn't all fun...:) i won't go into that.