Squelching the Rumors

We had a super lazy weekend.  Nothing planned except for flu shots.

Everything went smoothly, with no crying.  Click here to see how flu shots went three years ago.  It’s a nice reminder that sometimes when the kids get bigger and more mature, it’s a good thing.  Jack actually went first for the shot, but he didn’t want me to take his picture.  Maddie did a little dance for him to make him forget about the shot, so in the picture above, Maddie is watching Jack dance for her.  Ben remained quietly behind me while the two of them got their shots, and didn’t cry when it was his turn, but did give me a panicked look, so I put down the camera and hugged my boy.

On Sunday morning, Maddie’s PREP (or Sunday School) class was in charge of the children’s monthly mass.  She and another girl got to read the announcements, and she did great, no spitting, tripping. or unintentional swear words slipping out (as you can imagine, she’s got to be so careful about that last one).

We were sitting in the front row because it was also “Enrollment” Sunday for the Second Grade class, which means that Father had the second graders stand and he asked them questions about their intent to love God and Jesus, etc. since it is their year to take First Holy Communion (in May).  Jack said “yes” to everything except the first question when I whispered to him, “Say ‘I do’!” so he did, but then Father asked the kids to say “yes” and I got a dirty look from Jack.  Hmph.  Last time I try to help.

So, now we get to the rumors I am squelching.  

I am way worried that my church congregation thinks Dave and I are either separated or just really don’t like each other, because since August, we have been arriving at church at different times (or even attending different masses) for a varied number of reasons (for instance, today I had to attend a 9:00 meeting during PREP time, so Dave joined me later for mass.  I tried waiting with the kids in the back for him, but I was worried there wouldn’t be seats left in the front for the second graders, so we went in without him). 

Here are some more reasons we are arriving at different times (I am thinking of having this posted in the church bulletin, what do you think?):

-from mid-August to mid-September, Dave went in early so he could speak/sign people up for the golf tournament he and some friends were organizing.

-Twice Ben was altar server for the early mass and we decided to let Maddie sleep, so she, Jack, and I went to the later mass.

-Maddie and I were away for the swim clinic weekend.

-Dave took the boys to the early service on Jack’s birthday so they could attend an open house at the Sportsman’s Club later that morning.  Maddie and I went to the later service.

-Last week, we arrived together, but Dave took Jack to the bathroom, and the big kids and I walked in and sat down, before I realized my error.

-And of course, this week, with my 9:00 meeting, we sat down and Dave arrived 10 minutes later just as Maddie was about to read the opening announcements.  You know the busybodies were whispering about that.

Dave thinks I’m crazy.  Dave thinks I’m hypersensitive.  Dave thinks I care too much what other people think.  Dave refuses to give me more than a peck on the lips during Sign of Peace even though I have begged him for a more…extended Sign of Peace, shall we say.  Dave refuses to engage in a makeout session with me after church in the vestibule, which I just know would stop those tongues from wagging (or at least cause them to wag about how inappropriately in love we are with each other.).  So I have to be content with smiling at him a lot, and faking silent laughter at his nonexistent jokes, and picking imaginary lint off of his collar in a loving, possessive way, which can be exhausting.

So, people, we are still totally in love with each other, so stop all the talk and fuss, you should all be ashamed of your darn selves. 

What Would Jesus Do?  He would say, “Beth and Dave, you guys rock, and also, stop making out, that’s totes disgusting.”

The Disappearing Maddie Trick

Dave’s birthday was last Friday.  He’s older than I am…that’s all you need to know.

Jack played “Happy Birthday” for us on the piano as we sang to him, which explains why Jack’s missing from the picture below.

But then he joined us as Dave smiled for the camera…

…and made his wish…

And I really don’t know what he wished for.  Maybe healthy kids or a low golf score or that his candles wouldn’t set the house on fire.  But what he should have wished for…

…was that his darling oldest child wouldn’t fall off of her chair.  Because she did.

                                 Happy Birthday, Big D!  We all love you!  (Especially the one in hysterics on the floor.)

October Instagram

Good Lord, I don’t even remember October.  I will do my best for you people, but don’t be surprised if I start making things up.

In early October, I was so excited to see a truck o’pumpkins drive by!  I got to the intersection just as the light was turning red, and as the truck slowly started moving forward, I whipped out my phone and got my shot!  Sort of like an old timey cowboy, minus the holster.  However, now that I think about it, a holster would be an excellent place to store your phone.  I could probably also stick miniature KitKats down in the bottom for those times when the grub around the campfire is beans again.  Cause it’s always beans when you’re a cowboy.

           You can tell the people in the cars behind me are totes jeal of my holster idea.

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Jack and Maddie got to do the yard marker at Ben’s last flag football game of the season.  They actually did a great job, following along with the ref, and moving the sign to the appropriate spot.  Maddie would dip the sign down so Jack could change the numbers.  Jack eventually got bored about halfway through the game and came over and joined me on the sidelines, but then Maddie was happy that she could have a turn switching the numbers.

On the way into the game that day, I snapped these two pictures of Maddie, which may be among my favorites out of the whole year:

We parked at the bottom of this huge, leaf covered hill.  I was already taking pictures (you’ll see one that follows) when she slipped on the leaves and slid down the hill.  She was laughing hysterically, and I’m just so happy that I captured that moment!

Here’s one when she made it to the top.  I’d say it looks all arty except for the darn car that’s in the bottom corner of the picture, but still, I like it.


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Jack made his bed and set up his stuffed animal collection and asked me to take a picture.

                                       I love that he’s giving the Despicable Me minion bunny ears.

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Herbert loves to lounge.  And we love to pat his chubby belly when he lounges.  It’s a win-win situation, people.


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We lost another fish.  Jack was very sad and cried a lot until I reminded him that he could pick out a new one at Wal-Mart.  He added Christopher to the fishy graveyard where he joined Molly and Gibby then swam his little fishy self to that aquarium in the sky.  Our new fish is a sucker fish that Jack named Alex and he keeps the tank super clean.  I love him and his little algae-eating self.


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Remember I showed you the picture of Dave and me at the Halloween party dressed as Alan and Stu from The Hangover?  (Scroll down one post to see the picture).    Alan wears a shirt in the movie called “Human Tree”.  I printed out a picture of it for Maddie and she drew/painted the design onto an old undershirt of Dave’s for me!

                        The sweaty pit stains only added to the realism.  Or so Dave told me.

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Here is Maddie getting her swim bag and the t-shirt she's wearing signed by some of the Olympic medalists at the clinic we attended. 

I’m out of frame here, busy forgetting my dang computer cord, or possibly trying on this awesome pair of shoes:

I could just kick myself that I didn’t buy them.  They would go perfectly with the sequined, low-cut little number I’m wearing to parent-teacher conferences this afternoon.  Note to Tara:  they can be found at the Burlington Coat Factory and would be an excellent addition to your collection.

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“May I interest you in ze cupcake du jour, madames et monsieurs?”

Here’s a little tip just for you.  When you are finished playing with your stick on mustache, it makes pretty awesome eyebrows!


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My mom stopped by the house on trick-or-treat night to see the kids in their costumes.  We knew she was coming, so Jack ran to the door when the doorbell rang.  Three seconds later he zipped back through the kitchen and hid in the living room.  This is why:

After he went and changed his underwear, he thought Grandma was pretty darn funny.

Happy (Slightly Belated) Halloween!

This year we carved our pumpkins just as Hurricane Sandy was warming up.  I, however, was not too terribly warmed up after attending an adult Halloween party the night before.   I think I may have indulged a little too much because I lived up to my costume’s namesake. 

                                    (Allan and Stu from The Hangover).

Anywho, with my head pounding away, we got busy.  We were dismayed to discover that our big pumpkin had rotted, but our three little pumpkins were good to go, so the kids got busy on their designs.  Ben did his in about 3 seconds and Jack’s took a few minutes, but Maddie spent at least an hour on hers.  She wanted to try shaving off the pumpkin’s face and then carving a design into the flesh.  She ended up carving Harry Potter into her pumpkin, but wasn’ t very happy with how it turned out.  I thought it was very cute though!

Ben’s on the left has a mustache.  Harry Potter is in the middle…it’s hard to see his glasses and lightning bolt scar, but they’re there.  Jack’s is a classic.

Thanks to Hurricane Sandy, our Trick-or-Treat night was pushed back one night, but I certainly can’t complain about that when you see the devastation she wrought along the east coast.  The extra time actually worked to my advantage as it gave me more time to finish Jack’s costume.

Photo below:  (back)-Maddie as Napolean Dynamite, Maddie’s friend Kelsey as grapes (don’t you love it?!), (front) Ben as Ghost from one of his video games, Ben’s friend Nathan as a banana (I didn’t notice his banana top was down until after the picture), and Jack as a chicken.

We walked together as a group for exactly one house:

And then Jack took off running.  It’s very hard for the average kid to keep up with him.  We tried going with friends last year, but in Jack’s words, “they’re slowing me down!”  So Kelsey’s mom (Dana)  and I raced around the neighborhood with Jack while Ben and Nathan went on their own, and Maddie and Kelsey went on their own.  We saw them occasionally on our race around the neighborhood, and I looked wistfully at other groups of neighbors all enjoying a leisurely stroll, socializing with each other, but for now, I just keep up with Jack.

Jack’s goal was to hit Santa’s house early this year (you do remember that Santa lives in our neighborhood, don’t you?)  Last year, by the time we got to Santa’s house he had already turned out his porch light.  Jack was heartbroken.  I gave him permission to ring the bell anyway, and luckily Santa and Mrs. Claus were happy to see him and had exactly one piece of candy left in their bowl.  Jack was not about to let that happen again this year.

Jack was spellbound.  Santa chatted him up and gave him his candy and complimented his costume, but Jack made no move to leave.  I seriously think he was just starstruck.  Eventually, after a few more HOHOHO’s, I thanked Santa and pulled Jack away.  Best moment of the night!

After about an hour and a half, Jack, Dana, and I were the last ones back.  The kids spread out their hauls and the trading began.

 

We had such a fun night, and within the hour we had all (especially me) collapsed into bed.

Happy Halloween!

Autumn and Herbie

My computer cord was delivered today while I was busy being sneezed on by a bunch of first graders.  Woo hoo!  Now, of all the posts swimming around in my fishbowl of a brain, I felt that Herbie’s fans would most appreciate a post devoted to him.  You’re welcome!

Let’s begin by taking a look at Herbie’s favorite fall flower, the chrysanthemum.

Herbie and I have had many a lively discussion debating the merits of the chrysanthemum vs. the aster, with Herbie stubbornly proclaiming the chrysanthemum’s superiority which  I think, quite frankly, is ridiculous.   I mean, you’d think he’d open his mind for a friendly discussion about bloom time or frost resistance or pollen production, but NOOO, it’s chrysanthemums all the time with him.  It actually gets a little annoying, if you want to know the truth.

When the chrysanthemum discussions get a little old and my head starts to hurt from all the eye rolling I’m doing, I take Herbie outside for a visit to Mr. Skeleton.  That always calms him the heck down!  Herb gets a little freaked out with these visits.  “What’s another nice fall flower Herbie?  That’s right, dude.  The aster.”

Herbie likes pumpkins though!

In fact, he loves pumpkin seeds so much that he usually starts begging to carve the pumpkins in mid-July, but I’m all, “Herbie, why you ackin’ so cra-cra?” and he’s all “If you really loved me you’d do it” then I’m all, “If you really loved me you’d stop pooping every two minutes” and then his shame takes over and he shuts up already about the stinkin’ pumpkin seeds.

Herbie also enjoys climbing amid the autumn foliage!  I bet you didn’t know guinea pigs could climb trees, did you?

He gets so excited that he just keeps climbing and climbing.  One time we had to call the fire department in to get him down, which was really quite embarrassing for everyone involved, especially me.  There were a lot of questions posed regarding my “competency” as a pet owner, but anyone who was really watching would have picked up on Herbie snickering as he sat in the fire fighter’s hat, whispering,  “Chrysanthemums rule” under his breath.  Seriously.  What I put up with.

Herbie is also always up for a good romp in the leaf pile.

In the picture below, Maddie is trying to get him to calm down.  Sometimes he takes leaf throwing a little far and more than one person has ended up in tears over Herbie’s crazed “tornado o’ flaming leaves” as he likes to call it.

“I sorry.  Can I has a pumpkin seed?”

Still, we love our sweet Herbie.  And we wouldn’t trade him for all the asters in the world.

I’m Back---But Not Really

I haven’t been able to blog and it’s been driving me crazy!

Two weeks ago, Maddie and I spent the weekend together at a swim clinic in New Jersey.  She swam and went to lectures with Olympic medalists (really, she did!)  and I hung out with my friend Ellie and the other moms and watched old Mad About You episodes, and went shopping and basically took it easy.  It was awesome!

Then when we got home, I realized I left the cord to my computer on the desk in the hotel room.  Now it’s two weeks later, and I still don’t have it back.  I’ve been waiting impatiently every day for the FedEx man but every day Ralph, Louis, and Demetrius (my Cherry Hill Housekeeping Management Team) let me down.

I have some blogpost ideas in my head.  I took a Fall Photoshoot of Herbie and I have all of our Halloween pictures and October Instagram and I CAN’T USE ANY OF IT! 

Last night Dave suggested I use his computer to update my blog, (and duh, why didn’t I think of that before?) but I can’t include any pictures so mostly you’re just getting this explanation.

And also this bonus photo from 2009 that was on Dave’s computer…

and this one from 2010.

And I hope I’ll be back soon.

Hall of Famer!

On Saturday, we packed up the family, stuck our Redbox movie (Mirror, Mirror) into the car’s DVD player, and headed north to the suburbs of Scranton, for my father-in-law’s induction into his undergrad college’s Athletic Hall of Fame!

The evening began with a cocktail reception.  The kids were thrilled to be given cans of Pepsi, while the grown-ups all enjoyed some wine and got to meet some of Al’s college friends/teammates.  When it was time to find our seats, I realized that all five grandkids had camped themselves out in the first row of the audience.  Dave and I had actually discussed the possibility of not even bringing our kids, as we were worried that a bunch of speeches would be hard for them to sit through, and we didn’t want to mar a lovely evening in any way with wiggles and whispered fighting.  However, we also thought it was important for the kids to see their Papa receive this award, so although they were there, the front row was not where we would have picked to install them.

There were three other inductees, and all three were introduced by someone special to them, and then they themselves also gave a speech.  I’m not kidding you when I tell you how entertaining the speeches were.  I’m not talking fireworks or bells and whistles.  Instead, the presenters and inductees generally gave simple, thankful speeches that even held the attention of an extremely bouncy eight year old.  All of the kids were spellbound, and super well-behaved.

Finally, it was Al’s turn!  (When your last name starts with W, you’re always last.)  He was introduced by his former roommate, who not only gave a glowing introduction, but also shared a story involving “tubbies” that had us in stitches.  I was laughing so hard, I was crying, but I will not repeat the story here, because although Dave’s dad responded to lovely that introduction with humor and grace, I’m not sure he would have actually wanted his audience in on that story.

Here’s the man of the hour:

Can you believe I forgot my camera?  And my phone!  I took this one with Maddie’s iPod, and all pictures that follow are my mother-in-law’s.

Al gave the best speech of the night.  I’m going to steal my brother-in-law Allan’s Facebook status, because he described it best: 

Interesting how different people measure success.
Yesterday as my Dad accepted his induction into the Athletic Hall of Fame at Keystone College, his remarks were not about his accomplishments. They were about the importance of the people in his life. He honored his own Mom and Dad, who supported his endeavors by sitting through countless games. He highlighted his sweetheart, Julie, who although she could not always attend his games due to the nuns' strict rules about curfew at her nursing school, has seen her undying support since those early days, manifested in the numerous softball games of his that our Mom has attended over the past 40+ years, as well as all the sporting events she attended for their 4 children and now 5 grandchildren. Dad referred to the pride his parents would have with this induction, but also the pride he has that in their place, sitting in the front row, were his four children and five grandchildren.
Dad acknowledged that his athletic achievement was only possible because of the teammates he had, as well as the talents and opportunities God provided for him.

Dad showed us yesterday that success is not trophies nor stats. It's the right priorities of God, family, friends, and hard work. Thanks, Dad, for an amazing life that continues to teach us.

Al  got a huge, well-deserved round of applause.  Here are his “stats” from the program:

1959-60- Never missed a start in the Baseball or Basketball seasons,
Baseball team captain & second base man, guard in basketball, All-East Team in Basketball
1960- College Athlete of the Year
1960-61 -Never missed a start in the Baseball or Basketball seasons,
Team captain in baseball & basketball, All-East Team in Basketball
1961- College Athlete of the Year
1963- graduated Gettysburg College, bachelor’s degree, married Juliana Zelna
1965- graduated Drake University, Master’s degree
1968- graduated University of Vermont, Ph.D. in Biology, began teaching at Lebanon Valley College
2012 -49 years of Marriage
-4 children -5 grandchildren -44 years as professor of Biology at LVC (and counting)

And here are some pictures of the Man of the Hour:

                    Al impressing us with his foul shot, 50 years later.  Also, doesn’t he look like Johnny Carson in the old photo?

Al with his children, from left, Dave, Allan, Mike, Al, and Sue

We are so proud of you, Al!  If there were a Father/Grandfather/Father-in-Law Hall of Fame, no doubt you would have been their first inductee.

Two Recipes and a Craft

Since nobody brought me any Snickerdoodle Brownies, I decided to make some myself.  Who needs you people, really?

The original recipe came from here.

I guess these should really be called Snickerdoodle Blondies since there’s no chocolate in there at all.  Anywho, they came out moist and delicious, and totally reminiscent of a Snickerdoodle cookie (which is one of my favorite childhood cookies).  Here’s the recipe, and it’s still not too late to get back in my good graces by bringing me a few.

Snickerdoodle Blondies

2 2/3 c. flour

2 t. baking powder

1 t. salt

2 c. packed brown sugar

1 c. butter, softened

2 eggs

1 T. vanilla (this seemed like a lot, I think I only put in a half T.)

2 T. white gran. sugar

2 t. cinnamon

 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, lightly grease a 13x9 pan.  Cream the butter, brown sugar, eggs, and vanilla.  Add the dry ingredients (though not the last two ingredients), and mix well.  Spread the batter, which will be very thick and dough-like, in your pan.  Mix together the final sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle over the dough.  My helper did this step for me. 

Any guesses what his Halloween costume is going to be?

Bake for 25-30 minutes, remove from oven, cool, and cut into squares.

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Moving on to another great Pinterest find, Peanut Butter Nutella Swirl Cookies.

The original recipe came from here.  I would write it down here for you so you wouldn’t need to go some where else for the recipe, but I’m going to send you there, because I kind of enjoyed reading the snarky comments under the recipe.  Apparently, the blogger made the mistake of initially saying “soda” instead of “baking soda” and this caused a minor flurry of alarm and then spurred one commenter (Melissa Burton) to not only clarify what the blogger said, but to tell everyone how unclear the recipe was and say that she had made the blogger’s recipe and improved on it by adding cashews.  Another commenter made a comment like “if anyone thinks they should put actual soda pop in their cookies, they shouldn’t even be baking” or something similar.  Not a huge deal, but still fun reading!

Anyway, get yourself the recipe from there, and read the comments while you’re at it, but know that this recipe is easy peasy, makes about 6 dozen (mine are smaller than hers, I used about 1 T of dough per cookie), and is probably going to be my cookie exchange cookie this year (although I think I’m going to drizzle some chocolate over them to pretty them up for Christmas).

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And last but not least, I found and made a three minute craft on Pinterest and really like how it turned out!  I wish I could tell you what fonts/letter sizes I used, but I can’t remember, and if you do it, I think you’ll have fun playing around with the fonts and finding one you like.


The first two dates are Dave’s and my birthdays, then our wedding date, then the kids’ birthdays.  When I went to the original site to give you the link, I found that the link is no longer available, sorry!  If you are on Pinterest, you can go to my DIY board and see a picture of the original pinner’s project (which looks way better than mine…it’s more like subway art.)  My Pinterest link is over on the right!

Have a great week!

How the Other Half Dines

For years we’ve been dangling a carrot in front of the kids.  For years we’ve told them that when their manners at the dinner table get good enough, we would take them for brunch at The Circular Dining Room in The Hotel Hershey.

For years we did not go.

And although I think Jack still has a way to go, and Ben still needs to remember to not discuss bodily functions at the table, we decided it was time.  The whole week before our reservation, we talked manners.  We talked napkins in our laps, remembering to use please and thank you, appropriate conversations and voice volume, and, for Jack, that sitting on one’s bottom and not head is not just a suggestion, but a must.

We wore our Sunday best and elegantly strolled/tripped into this gorgeous place:

We were seated and Maddie suggested a toast.

Ben ordered hot chocolate at the waitress’s suggestion and deemed it the best hot chocolate ever.  In fact everything was deemed the best ever.  The bacon tasted like real bacon (like the bacon I serve them is fake?), the sausage was juicy and the best ever, the blintzes were amazing, the fruit was the most flavorful, fruity tasting fruit they had ever had.

Their manners were impeccable, and I am not kidding you.  The water server even commented on their manners when each of them gave him a “thank you” after receiving water.

And did I mention the chocolate fountain?

They had large bowls of strawberries, marshmallows, pound cake cubes, and pretzel rods, and although all three kids tried it out, Jack went back three times and even wanted to fill a mug with the chocolate and just drink it (we said no to that one).

                                                                                                         The very picture of elegance, my friends.

Ben’s favorite was the chocolate cream pie…

But Maddie and I love the “Autumn Spice Panna Cotta” the best.  I’d never had panna cotta, but I think it may have kicked aside crème brulee as my favorite dessert!

I took this picture of Dave so you could see the painted ceiling and the gorgeous stained glass windows behind him. 

We had a fabulous meal a a fabulous time together.

I think Jack definitely felt at home here.

Will they have good manners forever now?  Ha!  Don’t make me laugh.  But it’s good to know they can do it when they have to.