My New Obsession

I originally posted this awhile back on my teaching blog, Wild About Elementary Music (because what teacher isn't caffiene-driven in some way, shape, or form?), but wanted to share it here with you as well.  I love this recipe SO much!  Bless you, Ree, bless you!

http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2011/06/perfect-iced-coffee/

The above image is that of The Pioneer Woman's Perfect Iced Coffee.  Can't ya just taste it?

If you're anything like me, coffee is one of your staple beverages.  I love my daily coffee so much it's almost sinful.  I even have a seasonal rotation of what (and how) I drink it.  For summer, nothing beats iced coffee.  But, let's face it:  I can't be making trips to Starbucks every single day or there's no way I could afford to buy groceries.  Or shoes.  Anyway, I found this great post on The Pioneer Woman's blog and it was a game-changer.  I lurve, lurve, lurve this recipe for iced coffee.  Somedays I add sweetener, somedays I don't; but anyway you drink it, it's fantastic. 

Click the link and get brewing--you'll be so glad you did!

Overheard...

Driving around town running errands this morning...

Me:  I think you and I should do a Couch to 5K sometime...

Husband:  What?  Is that a new dessert?

Me:  (Laughing hysterically) What?!  No!  What did you think I said?!  This is precisely why we need to do one.

Husband:  You mean, like, run?

Me:  (Palm to forehead in frustration)

We're Still Here!

The picture above is from my sister's wedding. What a rambunctious little flower girl!

Just wanted to drop in and say "Hey!" No excuses--I have not made the time to blog. I assure you all is well in our world--busy with work, gigs, the house, and most importantly, with Sofia. What a fun age! We can't get enough of her and we squeeze every possible moment out of the day with her. She's quite the jibber-jabberer (no shocker, considering I'm her mother) and love, love, LOVES to dance non-stop.

Gotta run--it's a long weekend and there's a beautiful two year old with a dollhouse calling my name!

Parents of the Year? Probably Not.

Thursday, June 16: Sister's Wedding Rehearsal and Rehearsal Dinner

Friday, June 17: Sister's Wedding (We were Matron of Honor, Flower Girl, and Usher/Dance Entertainment. More stories/photos later.)

Saturday, June 18: Sister's Wedding Breakfast and Time with Relatives

Sunday, June 19: Father's Day. Day split between both of our parents' homes.

Monday, June 20, 10:32am: David says, "Did we forget something this morning?" Me: "Sofia's doctor's appointment!". Yup, we forgot to take our daughter to her 2-year check-up. I called the clinic immediately and apologized profusely. We were able to reschedule for Wednesday morning (which is her actual birthday). I have no excuse: it's summer, so I'm not working, and I only have one child to keep track of. I hope this is not an indication of how the rest of the week is going to go...ha!

Flood

That top photo? That was the restaurant where David and I had our wedding reception. In fact, many of our wedding photos were taken where you now currently see all the water. The photo below it? Many other of our wedding photos were taken in the park that used to be in the lower section of that photo, again, covered now in water. David proposed just to the south and slightly west of where that photo was taken. (These photos were taken in an aerial fly-over, facing east.) If you have our Christmas card picture from last year, save it--all of that area where we had our family portraits taken is now submerged as well.

My city--our city--is drowning. There are numerous--most of them unforseen--reasons why this is all happening, but suffice it to say, it can only be described as sad. Our home is safe, my in-law's home is safe, and if the levees hold, my parent's should be safe as well. But many are not. People are losing their homes, their businesses, everything. Some of our schools are even in jeopardy. The community has pulled together (I should clarify: The community has pulled together for the most part. I love this place--it's my home-- but sometimes the mindset of people here frustrates me--but that's a topic for another day) to do it's part, and we've had the help of the National Guard, and government officials, but so many things are still unknown. This is only the beginning--the Corps of Engineers hasn't even reached it's maximum release from the Dam yet. It's like anticipating a death--it's been slow, agonizing, and you don't really know how bad it's all going to be when it's over. We've been told the water could stay well above the flood stage at least until August.

And it's not just our city that's going to feel the effects of this--everyone south of us is going to be experiencing this as well, to a degree. In a way, portions of our community have sacrificed themselves for the sake of the larger, more metropolitan areas south of here. If our flooding wasn't controlled, the entire southern half of our city would have been wiped out and there would have been an even bigger disaster for those larger cities along the river to where it meets the Mississippi. I understand it from a logical standpoint, but my heart hurts nonetheless.

The river has always held a special meaning to David and to me. Our first date was along the walking path that ran alongside the river. David proposed to me on the banks of the river. We were married on the river aboard the beautiful Riverboat, which now sits docked in a safer place, awaiting when it will again sail. Our reception was at the restaurant that used to be river-side. We brought Sofia to the same walking trails for stroller rides. We showed her where Mama and Daddy had so many milestones in their relationship. We had her 1-year portraits and family pictures taken down there in tribute to the river's special meaning to us. I know the water will recede, but I also know that things will never look the same.

I mourn what used to be, but also know that for as much as I love this river, I must also remember it is not our river. It does not belong to us, but rather, we belong to it. It is a powerful part of Mother Nature and we must learn to respect its force. Afterall, we of this city have chosen to live, work, and build our lives alongside it. It will go where it wants to go and do what it wants to do. Water cannot be clenched in the fist of your hand.

She is the Gas

That's not a typo. My daughter is a gas, that's for sure, but in this instance, I mean the gas.

The other day David and I saw a TV commercial--I can't even remember what it was for--but the premise was that in life, some people are the brakes and some are the gas. After seeing it for the first time, David turned to me and said, "Our daughter is the gas, isn't she?" She makes us laugh and shake our heads in amazement every single day. Just since Sunday she:

*Fell through a window well cover in the backyard because she was jumping on it. Her daddy told her repeatedly not to be in the flower beds, but apparently the temptation was just too great. Just as he was walking over to pick her up, she went for one more big bounce, and the cover gave way. As he pulled her out from the window well she cried for (in this order): "My mama! My nuk! Be Cholly!" 'Be Cholly' is Baby Charlie from the TV show "Good Luck, Charlie".

*Following her bath the other night, she takes off running stark naked down the hallway. I didn't even have the words "Walk!" out of my mouth (can you tell I'm a teacher?!) when she slipped and fell and belly-slid across the living room all naked, wet, and slippery. Her quote? "Woah. I OK."

*Interrogated my in-laws' dog about Daddy's missing keys. ("Dog! Dada's keys go?" repeatedly. She was also crouching down and in the dog's face, mind you.) Poor dog finally had had enough and just walked away with a disgusted look on her face. In reality, Sofia had swiped Daddy's keys off the table, stuffed them into the front of her shoe, and hidden the shoe in her diaper bag. Sofia and the dog kissed (literally) and made up a few days later.

*Put on her own little dance recital in the middle of a sandwich shop on Monday evening. We were paying for our food and she was standing right next to us. The next thing we know, we looked over and saw her groovin' (and I mean groovin') to the music right smack in the middle of where the other customers were dining.

*Ate herself sick on strawberries and watermelon at Grandpa and Grandma's house and later threw up all over herself and her Mama. She just looks up at me and says, "I OK. Bath." and then proceeded to run into the bathroom and strip herself naked.

*Conned her parents into letting her sleep with them last night. Her allergies have been so bad that she's been really congested and coughing up a storm. The sympathy ploy must have worked, because last night we snuggled her in next to us. This was the conversation that ensued:
Sofia: "Dad OK?"
Daddy: "Yes, Sofia, Daddy's OK."
Sofia: "Mama OK?"
Mama: "Yes, Honey, Mama's OK."
Sofia: "Baby OK?" (Before you get any wild ideas--she refers to herself as Baby. There is NO, I repeat, NO Baby Version 2.0 on the way!)
Sofia: "I OK."
Then, sound asleep.

The hugs, the kisses, the crazy faces, the imprompteau dances, the way she loves to belt out the only two words of "Soul Sister" that she knows ('do' and 'tonight', in case you're wondering)at the top of her lungs.............I could go on and on. She might be the gas that drives the crazy in our lives, but we wouldn't want it any other way.

Feline Fight Club

In the wee hours of this morning, David hears a ruckus going on outside. Not being able to quite figure out what it is, he gets out of bed to discover two fighting cats on our back deck. (Side note: We don't own cats.) They are making the most horrendous noise known to man and they're actually slamming each other into the side of our house. David manages to scare them away, but not until the damn cats have succeeded in riling up the neighbor's dogs. So, by 4am the neighborhood has been treated with the early morning serenade of screaching cats accompanied by two barking retrievers and a shitzu. David quickly scans the deck, terrified that the cats killed something and that it was blood-staining our new deck. Thankfully, the deck was clean and there was no sign in the yard of any injured woodland creatures. (We have numerous bunnies that take up residence in our yard. It's really kind of cute--they each have their own little "apartments". Bunny 1 on the rock pile, Bunny 2 in the lilac hedge, Bunny 3 under the deck.....you get the idea.) David saunters back to bed. I can't believe it, but Sofia and I slept through the whole thing.

Later, while we were pouring our coffee, I mentioned to David that he still looked tired. His one-phrase response before telling the whole story: "Feline Fight Club".