The World According To Clark

Forty is Fine

Well I don't feel forty.  I've been told I don't look forty.  And as far as birthdays go, my fortieth was mighty fine.  It was a very relaxing day.  Played my new Agatha Christie Wii game.  Listened to my new Coldplay CD.  Got a one hour full body massage.  Hung out with my three little peeps and the man who helps me raise them.  We went to a wonderful dinner at Regas---let me tell you about my dinner at Regas.  It was as if they KNEW I was coming for dinner.  Bourbon marinated filets with bourdin cheese and fried red onions with smashed potatoes...I can't begin to tell you how stuffed I am.  I wasn't going to let that go to waste.  I gave what I couldn't finish to Rob.  Oh.  It was so delish.

After dinner the five of us wandered over to Mast General and we all picked out candy----although, we can't eat it because we're so stuffed.  I'm sure we'll find room later.  Tomorrow's another day. 

Ahoy Mates!

And here's Miss G in her pirate dress:

It's got pom poms and little friendly skulls and crossbones on it.  She was very pleased with it but wanted a pirate hat to go with it.

I think I might, just maybe, take a day off from sewing.  Laundry is piling up.  I've ignored it long enough.

Another Dress

I made another dress yesterday.  This one is for Emma, with the fabric she picked out.  When I asked her this morning to go brush her hair and put the dress on so I could take her picture, she said (better sit down for this one), "In a minute, I'm playing with Barbies."

Asking me to make her a dress and playing with Barbies?  Who are you and what have you done with my daughter?!?!

She was finally able to pull herself away from her inappropriately proportioned new friends for a photo op:

I didn't dare tell her, but I think she looks ADORABLE!!!!  The best part is that she REALLY likes the dress!

Jovial Jim

Last night I went and played tennis.  While we were playing we saw one of the tennis pros there and asked how she was doing.  Turns out her car got stolen, right out of her closed garage at home, while SHE was home.  Later I got to thinking and it reminded me of someone I knew who had his brand new truck stolen right out of his driveway in the middle of the night.  This was way back when (20 years ago....GULP!) I worked at Peaches.  Peaches was a music store.  It was when CD's were on their way in and LP's were on their way out.  I refer to this era of my life as "my wilder days."

I really liked working at Peaches.  No, it didn't pay alot.  But it was a lot of fun.  It was a very good time. I made good friends.  We went to concerts.  We had parties.  We hung out.  One friend in particular, was Jim.  I wondered what Jim was up to.  So I decided to google him.  And there were a couple of search results and when I clicked on one I was terribly surprised to find that it was his obituary.  I found myself sitting in front of my computer last night with my hand over my mouth it total shock.  I was not expecting that.  He was only a couple years older than me.  It only happened a few months ago.

Someone in the obituary was quoted as saying that Jim was "easy going and jovial" and that was true 20 years ago. I can remember his silly laugh.  Looking back he laughed alot.  He was a good friend.  Someone who I sought the opinion of often.  He was one of the people who supported my decision when I decided to go away to college.  When I said good bye to him on my last day of work, the day before I headed to Alabama, he hugged me good bye, and I remember thinking at the time, "God, that's a tight hug."  He wrote to me while I was in college and after I graduated. I'd see him again from time to time when I went back for summer breaks and whatnot.  But our letters to each other got farther and fewer as time went on and eventually we just lost touch.

You know what they say.  People come and go in your life.  Friends too, I guess.  I'm just so sorry this one left so soon.

Pillowcase Dress

I told Rob yesterday over dinner that I was going to make Abby a pillowcase dress.

"What's that?" he asked.

"A dress made out of a pillowcase."

"Why not use a burlap sack?" he suggested.

Anyhoo, here is the dress:

I made it in a little over an hour and it was EASY PEASY!

Martha Stewart pillowcase - $4.00

Pink rick rack - $2.00

Showing your husband you can make a pillowcase (or burlap sack) look like haute couture - PRICELESS!

Brown Out

Took the girls to the pool yesterday.  Got their swimsuits on, lathered them all with sunscreen, piled them in the car and we go to the pool!  Only when we get there, the pool is closed and there's a sign on the gate that says, "Pool Closed---7/12---BROWN OUT!"

"I wonder what a brown out is." I said.

"Maybe someone pooped in the pool."  Rob said.

"Nooooo!"  I say. "I think it probably has something to do with part of the pool they were working on."

So we take the girls to the water park, but have to leave shortly thereafter because of impending storm.  I called the Racquet Club to find out why the pool was closed and if it would be open the next day.  "Yes," says Nelle, an older woman who works the desk, "It'll be reopened tomorrow.  And a brown out is---well, there was the unfortunate incident when someone's little one pooped in the pool."

Just so you know.

Well, we couldn't go swimming today because of the downfall of rain we had most of the day.  But no one is complaining because we need rain BADLY.  But we kept ourselves busy.  Mostly we were entertained by our new pet.  We have a new OUTDOOR pet rabbit.  Well, actually it belongs to the people that just moved in across the street, one house over, but they can't seem to catch ole' Bugs and she/he/it likes to hang out in our yard for some reason.

So today being the third day it made it self home in our front yard I decided it needed some food (other than whatever it was eating from our front yard).  So we fed it some carrots, watermelon, celery and a strawberry.  I'm certain we'll see it again.  The girls loved it and every ten minutes it seemed I heard, "Can I see if the bunny's out front?"  "Can I feed bunny carrot?"  "Where's da rabbit?"

When it stopped raining today Rob took Emma outside and she got on her bike WITHOUT training wheels.  This is something that bothers Rob.  The fact that Emma can't ride her bike yet without training wheels and he is determined to get her going without them.

She did pretty well.  I think she is determined to ride without training wheels now too.  Still needs a little practice.

I got a chance today to use my new Cuisinart!  It was a little early birthday present from the ole' in-laws.  I got to open it early since Amazon shipped it in a Cuisinart box and I knew right away what it was.  Anyway, it's a gorgeous piece of kitchen gadgetry and it comes with a dough blade (among other accoutrement's) and I made some focaccia bread from scratch:

I seasoned it with fresh basil, oregano and thyme (that I'm growing!) as well as sea salt and garlic powder. 

I also used the Cuisinart to slice up green beans into french style green beans.  I did all this while drinking a glass of vino and soon enough I felt like I should have my own show in the Food Channel.

I also made a dress for Abby today. Will post picture of it tomorrow when she's up and running around to model it.

Sew Little Time

Here is Abby's new dress I made!

Yes.  She's posing. 

The dress is all one piece and the back wraps around the front underneath and buttons together and then ties in the back.  Hope I described it accurately.

I made it for her to wear to her Great Unkle Rik's wedding in two weeks.  I think it might be a tad on the big side.  But I think if it's tied tight enough it'll be okay.

I think the best thing about it is all the double folded biased tape around it. Who needs to hem when you've got that magical stuff?

Next in the works is a pillowcase dress.  When I told Emma I was going to make Abby a dress out of a pillowcase she seemed very interested.  I told her I could make her one and it didn't even have to be out of a pillowcase, that it could be out of some fabric I already had.  So I showed her some fabric, she picked some out and I'm still a little surprised at #1 she wants a dress, and #2 the fabric she picked out.  Well see how she likes it when it's made and she tries it on.  If she doesn't like it, there are still two other girls in the house that can wear it.  But, here's hoping anyway.

It's July Already??!!!

It's now Monday and all I have left over from this past weekend is fond memories of time spent at the pool, the Wimbledon finals, time in the backyard, and cooking out.

This morning I had a few errands to run (post office, bank and support of our local Starbucks---just to make sure they weren't the ones that were closing---they're not.)and then I had to go to the DMV to get my license renewed.  I went to the Knoxville Center Mall where they have a little city government office and my trip was VERY successful.  I was in and out of there in less than ten minutes; all three girls behaved themselves; and my picture on my new license looks very good, if I do say so myself.  When they gave me my new license I showed it to Emma and said, "Look how good that picture came out!"  And some man that was waiting in line overheard me and said, "No one ever has a good drivers license picture."  So I showed it to him and he said, "You're right, that is a good picture!" 

Since the girls were so good I took them to the dollar store (hey, they don't know cheap crap from the good stuff)and let them pick out something.  Emma picked out a cell phone, Abby a hat and Georgia picked out a SpongeBob notebook.  I told her that she needed to write words in her new book, so right now she's busying herself writing words, copying words and asking me how to spell words. So I sound them out to her, as opposed to telling her the letters, thinking/hoping that she'll catch on and start sounding them out herself and writing the words. This is something new for her.  The desire to write words correctly.  Before she would just write a bunch of letters and then tell me what they said. I like to think that all the work we've been doing over the summer has inspired her.  We've been going over sight words for the first grade, using flash cards and reading A MILLION books.  Before school let out her resource teacher gave me a bunch of these materials to use (vocabulary, math and some reading comprehension) over the summer.  I've been trying to make it interesting for her by giving her a flash light and sitting in dark with her while we use our flash cards and read.  Or I'll give her a dixie cup and everything she gets a word right I put a jellybean in the cup.  Or I'll use Emma and we'll make a game of it to see who can get the most words.  I can tell that her reading has improved. Her speech therapist said that her speech syntax is getting noticeably better and that she's been more focused and able to stay on task.  The focused part and staying on task probably has to do with the Strattera she's now been taking for a month.  I think the real test to see if the Strattera is working is when school starts.  Can't really tell if it helps with hyperactivity because since school has let out she hasn't been as hyper.  Although Strattera is more for focus than anything else.

Abby is now napping, Emma is reading and Georgia is writing and the pile of laundry beckons me.

Couple #1 Was Robbed!

If Rob came to me and said that it was his life long dream for him to dress as Chewbacca and for me to dress as a Jawa and dance to the song of Footloose by Kenny Loggins at Disneyland during Star Wars Weekend, I would have to say, "Sorry, Babe.  It's already been done."

Happy 4th of July!

Happy Fourth!  Picture complements of our Pyrotechnic Piranha, Mr. Clark.  Well, I took the picture, he lit the thing, as well as a wide variety of other fireworks.  Nothing too dangerous or loud or libel to cause the neighbors to call the police.  Just enough to get out of his system.  He took Georgia and Emma to the fireworks store this afternoon while Abby napped.  They picked out their loot.  When they got home we spent some time at the pool, cooked out and then watched Rob light the backyard on fire.

He'll probably get upset when he sees this post and say, "I did not set the backyard on fire!"  And I'll tell him, "Well, at least I didn't post the picture of you napping on the living room floor before you performed your pyrotechnic show."  ;)