I, Me, Mined

All through the day, I me mine
I me mine, I me mine
All through the night, I me mine
I me mine, I me mine
Now they're frightened of leaving it
Everyone's weaving it
Coming on strong all the time
All through the day I me mine

I-I-me-me-mine, I-I-me-me-mine
I-I-me-me-mine, I-I-me-me-mine

All I can hear, I me mine
I me mine, I me mine
Even those tears, I me mine
I me mine, I me mine
No-one's frightened of playing it
Everyone's saying it
Flowing more freely than wine
All through the day I me mine

I-I-me-me mine, I-I-me-me mine
I-I-me-me mine, I-I-me-me mine

I am constantly getting this song wedged in my head. It's mostly because this is my life now. Having two kids, two years apart, makes everything, be it toy, scrap of paper, piece of trash, unwanted bread crust, errant newspaper, clipping of toenail, or A-N-Y-T-H-I-N-G, a precious commodity to be battled over. Elena can be seen streaming through the house screaming at the top of her lungs, "NOOOOOOOOOOO!!!! THAT'S MINED!!!!!!!!!!!!!" (I have to spell the way she says, because it makes her serious emphasis of it that much more ridiculous. She continues, "LIAM, THAT IS MY NAPKIN! YOU CANNOT HAVE IT!!!!"

I have not found a magic solution for this behavior yet. My parental instinct is to heave a huge sigh and look crestfallenly (if that can be an adverb) at these two little cherubs whom I birthed. Can you two do nothing but snark at each other? Can you not don a sharing spirit and love each other? Can you not..........siiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiigh?

Need I even report that Liam has mastered the words, Me and Mine already at the age of 18 months? I don't know if it's early or age-appropriate or late, but I do know that there was no escaping these words. Verbally labelling is means of survival in this house.

And you know what? I bet "NO!" is next. Oh joy!

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Liam's Road to Nowhere

When Liam was six months old, he started growling. It was frightening how much it sounded like he was auditioning for a bit part in the Exorcist or chanting REDRUM over and over again. It scared the bejesus out of me. When he was about a year old, his father finally realized he was making that horrible sound whenever he heard an engine, be it a jet in the sky, a boat on the lake, or our own car downshifting. Ever since we realized that, it has been like a lightbulb went on...OUR BOY LOVES CARS.

As is the case with most toddlers, love of cars, has spread contagiously to love of trucks, trains, wagons, bikes, motorcycles, basically anything with wheels. And now, at a year and a half (I almost typed 18 months, but read something recently about how people HATE it when you give them your child's age in months), has started to name the various vehicles...

BOOOOOOOOOAT - this is the latest addition and is, by far, my favorite. Lest you miss it from my spelling, he draws out the O for a very long time and his little rosebud lips form a tiny o themselves...awwwwwwww)
TRACTOR - nobody but immediate family could recognize that he is saying tractor, but, it's contextually correct
CAR (sounds like he is from Boston as he drops the R sound and shortens the A)
Train, which he calls TOOT TOOTS
TRUCK - Sounds an awful lot like sock
BIKE - Sounds suspiciously like BYE
Just recently he's starting saying BEEP BEEP CAR...which I almost want to call a sentence until my mother reminds me that it's really just two nouns hanging out together...oh well.

Since everybody latched on to Liam's love of vehicles, he has been getting wheeled gifts. Planes, trains and automobiles aplenty. We are running out of room at the house which must be makeshift roundhouse, hanger and garage. (And, if one considers his sisters obsessions, jungle, barn, zoo and kennel as well). It's mighty crowded over here.

So, anytime of day, Liam can be seen with a wheeled vehicle in each hand. Whenever his mother, grandmother, aunt or Boppa (grandpa) sits still for a moment, we become his road. He rolls his train or car or truck all over our legs. Some more compliant relatives stretch out yoga-style on the floor to make a full clover leaf of roads for Liam. Others of us require him to use JUST our legs...NOT on our hands, faces, breasts please, Liam.

Liam is not yet a big talker. He's going through a stage where he makes this rather annoying, insistent question noise, but it's always the exact same noise with the exact same intonation. No words. It's almost a whine, unfortunately, so he doesn't always get the answers he desires. But, this morning he would not stop grunting and non-verbally prodding me until I spread the red cozy blanket, which we keep on the couch, over me...Once I did this, he started running his cars up and down my blanketed legs, smiling and growling peacefully. Apparently the cars run smoother on fleecy asphalt.

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Peeping Time

I found a really neat site some time ago. I am thinking I might have even found it through someone's blog, but I honestly can't remember. Being a shutterbug myself, I love to look a photographs. I will sit on Flickr and refresh the "interestingness" button for hours and hours for entertainment. But, I digress and make it about me as usual.

This about a this really neat site I found. It's called timetales and it's a home for found pictures. In some cases, these are lost pictures. In other cases, abandoned. In a rare few, destroyed and restored. I am not one of those people who finds old pictures creepy or depressing (though I have met many who do). No, I find them interesting studies in what people chose to photograph in various time periods. What's nice about this site is the segregation by decade (so if you really aren't into creepy old pictures, you can look at the most recent categories).

As I scrutinize each one, I find myself trying to give the characters in each photo a story, and therefore a home. I even find myself swearing I know them, have seen them before, know a relative of theirs, or insist that they are a long lost relative of mine. In short, don't I know you from somewhere?

Shadow Theatre

Framed Shadow Portrait, originally uploaded by Kikigill.

Let me explain how I took this one. Liam is on my back in the Ergo carrier. The sun was behind us and there is a fence behind us which you can clearly see. The sunlight was streaming in between two trees. We were standing on one side of the street and there is a very steep bank on the other side. The bank on the side of the road provides the leafy backdrop of our shadow theatre.

I just think this shadow portrait is special in its symmetry, patterns and light. I fell like I am on stage in this one. Are the curtains parting or closing?

Did I Already Blog this one?

Botantical Garden 08 053, originally uploaded by Kikigill.

I sure hope not. OK, maybe I am super corny or maybe I am going crazy or maybe I am just falling hard for a flower (or my own photography), but...I think this flower is praying to God. See the light in the top left quadrant? it's God and the flowers are paying Him homage. They are facing His light and basking in His glory.

Liam and His Web Child Ticket

Botantical Garden 08 261, originally uploaded by Kikigill.

I don't know why I thought it funny that the ticket said "Web Child," but I did. It conjured up some platypusian image.

See Post Below

Botantical Garden 08 230, originally uploaded by Kikigill.

This is when I caught a glimpse of my reflection in the white door. Zoomed in and...read post below.

There's Kiki!

Botantical Garden 08 235, originally uploaded by Kikigill.

I just love this one. For one reason, Liam was sick, so he's just completely limp and relaxed on my back. He did not pick ONE piece of flora while we were at the Orchid Show! For another reason, I love catching a glimpse of myself "in context."

I still remember the first time this happened. I was walking through a new grocery store (well, new to me) and I saw this long and lean girl walking towards me. I experienced that split second delay between recognizing that it was, in actuality, me in a giant, wall-sized mirror. Turns out I look pretty good out there in the world at large, "in context." It's just when I squeeze my round face into a small mirror that I feel pretty bloated and big.

This was especially cool because I was photographing something in the foreground and then I noticed the reflection behind. Hey, that's a cool-looking nature girl over there...

Spotty Character

Botantical Garden 08 248, originally uploaded by Kikigill.

I was struck by how each and every orchid has its own personality and charm. This one was almost speaking to me, I swear!

Ghost of an Orchid

Botantical Garden 08 251, originally uploaded by Kikigill.

We went to the NYBG this weekend for the 2008 Orchid Show. I will post a few of my favorite pictures on the blog using Flickr. Apparently Flickr and Blogger are now smart enough to speak to each other without my help...ahhh machine to machine communications, isn't technology grand?

And one of Liam...

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I Had to Make One for Elena!

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Liam the Little Ham

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Freecycle Boycott

Sad but true, the woman who once wrote this:

Friday, October 06, 2006
One Woman's Trash is Another's Treasure
Well, it's official, I have found the best way for me to clear out my closets. I am a freecycling fool! I love to feel like I am giving and, with Freecycle, I get to give away all things individually. My beloved possessions, of which I have so many that I am inundated and drowning and, therefore, no longer "beloving." In the past week, I have given away ten bags of clothes, two bags of books, one dirty toaster oven, baby clothes and bedding, and more I've probably forgotten. For me, Freecycle is the perfect blend between charity and classified ad. I end up feeling that I am giving away to the needy that which they actually NEED. It's pretty cool. So...here it is...

My Ode to Freecycle

Treasure my trash I whisper as I hit send
My smaller size days have come to an end,
So have the bigger ones, no longer with child
I post OFFER: Maternity and the responders go wild.

Most of my items are popular and taken fast
I have yet to see anything out there really last.
You have a broken remote or ancient pair of shoes?
An old pitch fork? Post it! What have you got to lose?

But what about this iron bed I can't seem to get rid of?
Where is the person who will give it some love?
Sure it's broken and needs a little TLC
But, come on folks, it's a an antique, come see!

The irony is I am not a taker, only a giver
The idea of picking up others' clothes makes me shiver!
So, come take my trash and make it your own...
you too can dress yourself and beautify your home!!

Has now had an experience that has soured Freecycle for me. Sad, but true...here is the whole email strand. See what you think:

My request:
A friend of mine has just taken up spinning her own yarn. I am putting this out here on the off chance that someone has an abandoned spinning wheel. I would also love any orphaned knitting supplies! Thanks in advance. Kristen

Her response:
WE NOTICED THAT YOU HAVE NOT YET POSTED AN OFFER TO THE GROUP. PLEASE TRY POSTING AN OFFER BEFORE POSTING ANOTHER WANTED. WE ENCOURAGE OFFERS 2:1. THANK YOU FOR UNDERSTANDING.

I sent this back to her:
When I moved last year I posted about 25 offers. I don't have anything to offer right now. Can you please post my wanted?

And then, I forwarded her a copy of an OFFER I had made of a van that she, herself, had responded to at one point.

I then asked:
See...remember me? I freecycled a van! So, will you post my WANTED? In light of the fact that I freecycled for years OFFERing only and now am asking for a few things as I have fallen on hard times?

She responded (longwindedly):
First, We just want to remind you that Freecycle(TM) is not designed to be a wish list or a charitable organization. We are not here to take care of needy families and/or provide gifts to others. Though this may occasionally be the result, it is NOT our primary intent. There are many other organizations in the area that are specifically designed for this. Messages asking for help for
families, etc. will not be approved. This includes all requests for help from/for other charitable organizations.

Freecycle exists as a forum to help people give away items that they would otherwise be throwing away. We are here to OFFER things that we have but no longer want or need. We do not object to wanted ads, but we all need to consider what we are here for and use them wisely.

Second, You just stated that you are asking for a few things because you have fallen on hard times - How is asking for a spinning wheel for a friend a necessity?

My final note back to her:
I thought if someone had a spinning wheel sitting around that I could help them by giving it a home. No big deal.

I think if you look at my history, though, you will see that I have used Freecycle in its intended spirit for years. Sorry, I had no idea I could not post WANTEDs as freely as OFFERs. Sorry.

GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR

Well, as I find myself frequently doing, I am using my blog to tell another tale of customer service woe. I almost feel as if I could start a blog expressly for this purpose since the world is rife with poor customer service experiences waiting to grace my phone, email, broadband chat connection...But, UGH!

This time, the customer-service-sucks-ass award goes to HP/Compaq. I had completely planned on coming on here three weeks ago to write a stellar tale of my experience with them repairing my machine. I chatted with a gentleman named Morrie, told him about my broken laptop hinge, cd-drive issue and a couple other little annoyances and they sent a box for my machine, shipped it away, fixed everything, and in fewer than five business days I had my machine back good as new. I was thrilled and patted myself on the back for choosing to buy a Compaq laptop in the first place.

Well, that pleasure was to be short-lived.

When I had the machine fixed, I had on the list of complaints, a loose AC power adapter that seemed fine, but was clearly bordering on dangerous and could they please include a replacement when they returned the machine. I was assured that yes they could and I didn't worry. The machine came back and the AC adapter was the one thing that was not replaced. Unfortunately, as these types of cord injuries are wont to do, it progressed rather rapidly from a state of working to working in only certain positions, to working only with a mug slammed up against it, to working with only a mug and a pile of books pressed against it, to not working at all within a matter of days.

It was on the machine's swan song of battery life that I was able to send out a feeble SOS. Here, wait, I have the chat transcript here in my email box...Let me dig it up:

Thank you for your recent use of HP Real-time Chat Support. For your
records, we have provided a complete transcript of your chat session
below.

NOTE: Please do not reply to this automatically generated message.

For information on keeping your HP and Compaq products up and running
please visit http://www.hp.com/go/totalcare.

Chat Transcript Begins Here
--------------------------------------------------------------
Hello Kristen.

hi there

Welcome to HP Total Care for Presario Notebook. My name is Morrie. How may
I assist you today?

Well, I just got my machine back on Mon

And I had asked for a repair to the cord

and it didn't get fixed

and will not charge the battery due to a loose connectino

can I get a new cord through you?

my order number for the original repair was MSN867-01

Model number is EE394AV

Just to confirm, are you experiencing the problem with DC Jack(point where
we connect AC Adpater to the notebook) or the AC Adapter itself?

DC Jack and it's not the machine, but the cord itself

the connection is loose inside wire

At the terminus right where it connects into the machine

does that make sense?

I understand that you are experiencing the problem with AC Adpater.

Am I right?

yes

Thank you for confirming.

Let me check the warranty status of your notebook

ok

ty

Could you please provide me the serial number and product number of your
notebook?

CND601129K

EE394AV

Thank you for providing the information

I see from our database that your notebook is underwarranty.

Thank you, yes it is

it was just repaired last week

and this was the one thing they forgot to fix

I see.

I will be glad to arrange for the shipping of new AC Adpater free of
cost.

Terrific!

You guys are the best!

Thanks for the compliment.

I mean it! This has been the best experience...every step of the way

Our primary goal is Customer's Satisfaction!

I was just so impressed with how quickly the machine was picked up, fixed
and returned

And I am loving having it fixed

Please provide me the following details

* Name:
* Mailing Address (No P.O. Boxes):
* Apartment/Building/Mailstop:
* City:
* State:
* Zip/Postal Code:
* Phone Number (including area code):
* E-mail:
* Call back time(exact time with time zone):

Kristen Gill

2 THE RIGHT STREET

The Right Town, CT 06The right zip code

Phone number

Name, etc...

1PM ET (If call back is required)

Thank you for providing all the details.

Please provide me few momens while I create the case.

Thanks for your time and patience.

I have created the case and forwarded to concern department.

Here is the case number: 8007726033

You will receive new AC Adapter within 4 business days

Is there anything else I can assist you with today?

Just to make sure, are we still connected?
--------------------------------------------------------------
Chat Transcript Ends Here

Four days went by...no cord and no word. I called the 800 number. I talked to a woman named Sarah who needed me to spell the word Connecticut, Millers and couple of other words that had me a bit scared. Anyhow, the most important part of this conversation was that I THOUGHT they had updated my address in their system.

Chat Transcript Begins Here
--------------------------------------------------------------
Hello kristen.

Welcome To HP Total Care for Presario Notebooks. My name is Kate. How may
I assist you today?

Hi Kate

I am STILL waiting for a cord for my laptop

Could you please provide me with a detailed description of the problem,
which will help me assist you better?

sorry

I was on a business call

OK

Customer service order number: MYQ902-01

I was sent a computer cord, but not to the address where I live. It was
sent to an address where I lived two years ago

I need a new cord sent out ASAP as I cannot power up my laptop and I have not been able to for the last 10 days

Thank you for the information.

Model Number:EE394AV

Could I have a few moments of your time while I search the information for you?

Serial Number: CND601129K

yes

Thank you.

Thank you for sparing your precious time.

Sorry for the delay.

you're welcome

Kristen, I see that the ac adapter is shipped to the following adddress:

GILL KRISTEN
3 WRONG STREET ADDRESS
WRONG TOWN CT WRONG ZIP USA

Yes, I have not lived there for over a year and a half

Please confirm me whether that was the exact address to be shipped.

it is not the address I gave in the chat

Oh I am sorry to hear that@!

the address should have been: Kristen Gill - RIGHT ADDRESS ETC…

Could you please provide me the exact addres for me to ship the part
again?

Kristen Gill

2 CORRECT STREET

CORRECT TOWN

CT

CORRECT ZIP

PHONE NUMBERS, ETC…

Thank you for the information.

Kristen, I will create the case once again and the acadpter will be
shipped with 2-3 bussiness days.

I was told that on Sat

so, can you be sure to email me this time?

Kristen, i will make sure that you will recive the part within said time.

Is that ok?

Is there anything else I can assist you with today?

That's fine
--------------------------------------------------------------
Chat Transcript Ends Here

I was feeling all smug and excited until...I just checked the tracking information for the latest order online and guess where it shipped? Yup, you guessed it...the WRONG STREET ADDRESS, THE WRONG TOWN, THE WRONG ZIP...AGAIN...Now what do I do?

If I Had Three Thumbs...

I'd give them all up for Once.

Indie film. Yes.
Difficult to understand (at times) accents. Yes.
Love story. Sort of, but not really, well, perhaps the love of music.
Amazing film. Phenomenal soundtrack.

I will let you know how enamorate I was with the music in a short story. Immediately after we watched the movie (rented from Netflix), I streamed to my computer to download the soundtrack. I currently have a loose connection on the AC cord that plugs into my computer that required me (for weeks) to twist it just so, then (for days) to slam a heavy object up against it and now has devolved into not charging my laptop unless I am physically holding the connection together. This requires a lot of strength, and hand and finger strength at that. I held the connection together for ten minutes straight and completed the entire iTunes transaction (through numerous unknown error #5002 messages...grrrrrr) with my left hand. I had marks on the hand that was hold the cord and carpal tunnel ache in the left hand, but it was SOOO worth it.

Here, here's a little taste. See if it whets your appetite. And, comment if you saw/like this movie/soundtrack.




(this song is up for an Oscar this year: Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Song)

Guardian Angels

I seem to be, as of late, surrounded by the notion of guardians. First, I was reading Keeping Faith, by Jodi Picoult and the heroine of that book is being visited by "her guard." Then, my aunt, who is spiritual, but not at all dogmatic, gave my mother and me a meditation that centers around imagery of guardian angels. Then, this morning, I photographed our guardian angel...either mine, the kids', or all of ours.

I was taking photos of a beautiful foggy morning when a cloud formation that looked like a creature came into view. I first thought it looked like a unicorn:


Then, it appeared as a dove, winging into the periphery of the photo view finder:


It quickly traveled to mid-sky and became more pronounced, spreading its wings:


I glanced away and then back and it had truly turned into an angel, the sun streamed through and made shafts of light that reached down to us:


And, then, upon developing of this picture of Elena, I can see its light encircling and protecting her, can you?

Bank of America Sucks Donkey Butt

Just had to put this out there. I lost my job in August. Since then, I have been fighting to get unemployment compensation. I have failed to get that and it has been decided that I am ineligible...something about willful misconduct that I completely disagree with, but whatever, I am letting that particular issue go.

Just when I thought I was finally getting back on track, I started having numerous banking issues. These issues are my fault. I don't have enough in there to cover the outgoing bills. Hence, I am declaring bankruptcy. But, that little fact aside, I am still downright appalled at Bank of America for several reasons.

1) I have been charged over $250 in $35 fees for transactions that presented when there was not enough money in the checking account. The first of these happened when an automatic savings transfer went through and I had thought I had cancelled it. Grrrrrr....my fault, but they couldn't give me help with ANY of the charges.

2) I went to the bank last Friday and presented a Bank of America check. They cashed it, handed me the cash, to which I replied, "Oh, I wanted this put into my account." The teller took it back and assured me, "Ok, it's cash, it's available immediately." I went to the grocery store, got my medication (you should be saying here, "she's obviously NOT been taking it." LOL), and paid at that counter. Then, I went through the store and bought dinner and checked out and paid for the food items at a different register. Yup, you guessed it, TWO $35 charges for payments made on an overdrawn account. Why in the HECK would I have NOT taken the cash from the teller and just paid in cash? It would have saved me $70 in fees...Grrrrrrrr

3) So, yesterday I went into the bank branch to try and get them to waive the fees. Did you know that all they can do is dial the same 800 numbers we dial? I waited for over a half hour while the bank manager waited ON HOLD with the BofA HQ. Ridiculous.

4) Today, I escalated to a manager, who sounded about 20 years old named Dorian, at the 800 number. This was AFTER I called the main 800 listed on my online banking site, they transferred me to Banc of America Investments, I waited through prompts, answered umpteen questions about who I am and what numbers are associated with me, and then was told I was at the wrong number, only to get transferred again into a waiting queue where I had to again parrot answers to the same questions. The answer was no. No they can't help me. Sorry to lose your business, Ms. Gill. I even asked, "Whatever happened to the customer is always right??"

So, I am closing my account. I am transferring my banking business to Ridgefield Bank...one of the last of the local banks. Please God don't let it get bought out by Bank of America.

The First Day of School (EVER)

Today was Elena's first day of school ever. She is only going for two hours twice a week. It's not that dramatic, but it really is THAT dramatic. My baby girl is passing another milestone by in stride. It feels like just yesterday, her father and I were sitting on the floor encouraging her to take her first steps between us. Now, she is all of a sudden so grown up! Wahhhhhhhhh!

Then:


Now:

Dancing Boy

I just love my baby boy! This is the song I sing to him whenever I am changing him. It seems to calm him. When he heard it come on the CD player, he perked up, ran in and started dancing.

Click here...

So Many Things to Blog About...

So little time. This is a general housekeeping blog. I will try to catch everyone up on everything that has been going on here in my little life. Let's try a list format for ease of writing and reading...keeping it simple.
1) Summer was H-O-T. The kids spent much time fighting and cranking, but they just started playing together. Elena has finally learned that a baby brother can be fun to boss around. She gave him the bizarre nickname of Brother Munka, and chases him around shouting orders, "Munka, NO, you come here with me!" or "Come here wittle Brudder Munka. Silly Munka! What are you doing?" VERY CUTE.
2) Elena's grasp of language continues to improve. She is now into using surprising verbs and descriptions to get her point across. Two examples of this happened last week:

She was using a colorful term a bit too much, so Gwammy (my Mom) put "freakin" in time out. Well, last week she said it again and I reminded her..."That word's in time out, remember?" Her response? "Mom, I know, it just jumped into my mouth."

I stripped my bed. She watched and later said to me, "Mommy, that was so funny when your bed was all naked nudity. It REALLY needed its clothes on!"

3) We are attempting potty training. She is pretty well pee trained at this point. However, we still continue to struggle with the other. Anyone have any ideas?

4) Liam is walking. He walked just after his first birthday. Elena had walked at 9 months, so we have been waiting forever (or so it feels). I am hoping this means the tendonitis in my elbow will improve...walk on little man!
First steps:


Getting better at it:


5) I got let go from my job due to a misunderstanding. Yeah, right. Stay tuned on this one, folks.

6) I decided to become a consultant in Business Development and secured my first client. Check out www.marketingfire.com I am working on helping them go-to-market more effectively and developing relationships for them with brand owners in the packaged goods space. It's very exciting to be part of an organization of Futurists! Talk about a forward-thinking organization!

7) I am taking my firt plane trip with the kids on Labor Day. We are flying to Orlando to then go to see a good friend and her kids in Gainesville. Wish me luck! I'll send a "postcard".

8) Lots of walking, outdoor play, visits to Lake Candlewood, picking raspberries in our yard...it's been a fun summer.

Summer Fruits Stuffed and Glazed Pork Roast

I did some research on pork loin roasts tonight and then made up my own recipe. I am going to write it down here so I don't forget it, it was yummy.

1 pork roast, at least 2 pounds
ground pepper and whole mustard seed to taste
1 fresh apple
1 fresh plum/plumicot
1 jar of baby food (I used blueberry apple baby food, but any would work)
2 fat Tbls. of dijon mustard
1 Tbls brown sugar
2 tsps. ground thyme
1 tsp garlic powder/2 cloves garlic
1 tsp dried onion flakes
2 tsp salt (separated)
1 tsp cider vinegar
half dozen carrots
butter (no set amount, but about 6 pats)
1 box of prunes (you will only use as many as fit in the channels in the roast)

Prepare pork roast - wash, dry and place in greased broiler pan. Prepare carrots, scrape and cut in 2 inch dices and put aside.
Slice long channels into the meat (3 of them) and stuffed them with prunes (you could easily use apricots, dried apples, fresh apples, roasted garlic, fresh shallots, garlic, onions, etc...)
Salt and pepper and sprinkle with ground thyme and garlic powder (or rub with cloves of garlic) and place in a 400 degree oven for about 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, cut up apple, plum/plumicot in slices or cubes (I think in retrospect, it might have been good cut in smaller dices), put aside

Heat a small saucepan over med/high heat and saute some garlic and finely sliced onions (I used the dried kind from the spice aisle and fresh garlic), when the aromatics are clear, add baby food, brown sugar, vinegar, dijon mustard, ground thyme, a tsp of salt, cut up apple and plum, and some ground pepper. Cook for about 20 minutes until mixture thickens to a glaze.

After 30 minutes in the oven, reduce the heat to 350 degrees and add the contents of the saute pan to coat the roast with the glaze. I tossed the big pieces of apples and plums on the side of the roast and added the carrots to the side as well, separating them so they weren't touching each other, but were coated with the glaze. Set the timer for one hour (total cooking time should 30 minutes per pound at 350 or until internal temp reaches 160-170 degrees). Every 20 minutes or so, baste the roast and carrots.

When the roast comes out of the oven, move it to a plate and let it rest under an aluminum foil tent.

Use a spatula/spoon to remove all the carrots from the pan. I sliced them into rounds and, right before serving, glazed with some of the sauce, some of the cooked fruit and a couple of pats of butter.

Meanwhile, collect all the drippings from the roast pan and deglaze the pan with about 1/4 cup of water. Reduce sauce in a large frying pan (or you can just put your roast pan right over a burner like you do when making gravy). After the roast rests for 20 minutes, slice into 1/2 inch slices, and arrange on a platter. Finish the gravy with a pat or two or butter to thicken and pour over all the slices....arrange the glazed carrots and fruit pieces on the platter next to the meat and VOILA!

Okapi

I didn't actually expect this day to come for a LONG, LONG time, but it's come and gone. A three-year-old, my three-year-old, knew something I did not. Ever heard of an okapi? No? Me neither.

We are looking through a book on giraffes. Despite my best efforts to find library books that are fictional, pithy, and full of lively, fun words and pictures, my child is hooked on encyclopaedic works. We picked out ten books at the library last week. Seven are ideal bedtime books, sweet picture books, funny stories, etc. What does she like to read best? Which books does she cart around with her EVERYWHERE? Which books do I fear I will have to replace due to damages incurred by over-loving? The three books on animals. One is on Zebras, one on Elephants, and one on Giraffes.

We arrived home from the library and she was boldly flipping through the animal books making up a story to go with each picture. Thank goodness, since I wasn't interested in reading the four or five paragraphs per page. She was flipping through the giraffe book, creatively called Giraffes, and came to a picture of a weird looking zebra. She annouces to us, "And that's an okapi." We looked at her quizzically and read the teensy print under the picture. Sure enough, it was an okapi. You learn something new everyday, just not usually from a three-year-old!

The okapi is the closest living relative of the giraffe, hence the reason it was in the giraffe book.

A Very Carousel Birthday

Elena Catherine Gill turned three yesterday. She's a bit obsessive in personality, as are all toddlers I think. Her current obsession is carousel horsies, carousels, reading carousel books, and riding carousels she makes out of pillows. For her birthday, we took her to the Bushnell Carousel in Hartford. She LOVED every minute. Here is an indication of how much she loved it:



And some photos:

The Smell of Colors

This is a bit of an odd post. I'm not sure if I am weird, or normal and other people just don't talk about this stuff like I do. Maybe you can tell me. I am walking for miles everyday to get in shape. Walking is my time to think. Sometimes I go over things that bother me and work them through, but sometimes I have weird breakthrough ideas. Yesterday, I had one such breakthrough thought.

I stepped outside into the road that is arched by trees, vines and ivys. Growing alongside the road are wildflowers and thick banks of weeds. The moment I stepped onto the lane, I could smell the smell of GREEN. I closed my eyes and sniffed. Yes, that was the exact smell of green. Later in my walk, I came to an area that had a funny smell. It smells a bit like urine actually...the smell of YELLOW. At another point, I smelled the acrid odor of old skunk...the smell of BLACK and WHITE.

I started imagining what other smells immediately link in the brain to colors. Here is what I came up with...

The smell of water-soaked hands after swimming in the lake all day. The smell of clean, cool skin, BLUE.

The smell of a warm oven with gingerbread cookies baking, BROWN.

The smell of crushed raspberries or a tomato warmed to pungency by the sun, fresh from the garden, RED.

The overwhelming smell of grape chewing gum, in all its fakeness, immediately connotes PURPLE.

What smells make you think of a color?

Or, am I just plain weird?

Our Neighbors Won the Lottery

You know what that means? We will NEVER EVER win the lottery. What are the chances of hearing, two people on the same street in Connecticut won the Lotto? Well, probably not very good. Good thing I don't play very often.

Just a Little Video...

I call it I wuv spots:

Grab the Lambie and Pass the Cookie

This weekend, we went to Saratoga for a day trip, just the kids and I. It's about two-and-a-half hours each way. The ride up was a bit of a challenge with Liam squawking and screeching and moaning and bitching. In fact, Elena finds it hilarious when I try to keep myself from blowing up at him by singing, "Mr. Scream, Mr. Scream, doo doo doo doo doo doo doo doo." (sung to the tune of the Mr. Clean commercial jingles). So, the ride up was dicey with SOMEONE screaming the whole way and, therefore, SOMEONE else only getting a thirty-seven minute nap.

I spent a lot of time pulling my rotator cuff trying to contort to pick up Lambie (Liam's blankey) and handing him food, toys and binkies. At one point, I begged Elena to share her animal crackers with Liam. It reminded me of the Sistine Chapel fresco of God and Adam where their fingers are just barely touching. This provided enough of a challenge to please both players of the "Pass the Cookie" game. I was thanking God I had put a really big, absorbent bib on Liam for the trip. FYI: animal crackers reduce to crumbs and paste really quickly.

It was yesterday, on a shorter road trip of only a half hour or so, that Elena invented the game we are calling "Pass the Lambie." Liam tosses his Lambie overboard and Elena immediately snatches it up. She tosses it over to him and he grabs it. They lock in a minute or two of tug-o-war and I am treated to paroxysms of laughter...until it all turns bad, as all sibling games seem to when one sibling tires of the game before the other. This one ends with Elena peeved that Lambie is continually being jettisoned onto HER library books. "Mommy!!!!!! Liam keeps throwing his Lambie on my book!!!!!!!!" Sigh...

Almost Three and Drawing REALLY Well!

Or at least her mother thinks so! What do you think of this picture of: A mommy zebwa and her baby zebwa with wots and wots of gwass to eat!


Here she is drawing on April 22nd (or thereabouts). These are pictures of Elena, Liam and Dadddy:






And just a reminder...these were her faces drawn on June 7th of last year.




So exciting that she might enjoy art like her mommy...

Annoying Conversational Ping Pong

Elena attempts to engage me in mindless games of conversational ping pong about 345 times a day. The conversations have become so predictable that I can just look at her with a glower and she will spout out the next line. Here is one example:

"Mommy, Mommy, MOMMY?"

"Yes, Elena?"

"Mommy, Mommy, What you doing?"

"Doing the dishes."

"'Cause why?"

"'Cause they are dirty and I need to do them."

"'Cause why?"

"BECAUSE, people have to do dishes to keep them from piling all up. I have to load them into the dishwasher."

"'Cause why?"

At this point, I shoot her the glower and she often says, "'Cause that's how God made us?"

HAHAHAHAHA! I've got her trained now, if she says, "'Cause why?" I just stare at her and she comes up with an answer of her own.

One of my favorite repetitive conversations involves her reading me a book. She starts out telling me the title, which is always "About __________." She has a book with a horse on the cover she got out of the library this week. The story sounds like this:

Elena: "About horses at day and night. (page flip) About horses at night with stars.(page flip) About ponies and horses. (page flip)" The story continues along those lines with her describing each page as she sees it. It's really very endearing.

Last night, she read me a book about cows with spots, horses with manes, and pigs with curly tails. She read the book almost word for word, but added in her own embellishments (in parentheses below).

Who has spots?
A COW has spots! (Elena adds, "course" as in "of course")
Who has a mane?
A HORSE has a mane! ("'course")

I love that she is interacting with books. I will have to get a video of her reading. It's really quite cute!