It's War

The ants. It's all about the ants now. We are so tired of those little monsters. We must be on top of the largest ant hill in California. They're on the iron while I'm ironing. They're in the linen closet. They're on couch doing God knows what. Before we even moved in they were all over Theron's shag carpet and we assumed they'd move on, but no. Theron leaves towels and blankets all over the floor to walk on like pavers on a garden path. He thinks the ants can't climb them. This poor kid hates bugs so much it's like every nightmare come true. He could write his own Goosebumps stories - Episode One: Who Left That Juice Box In My Room???!!!!
Sometimes they go away and Theron thinks he's safe in the bathtub, pitting Shrek against Spiderman, when the ants come out of the grout. We're hoping this will really teach him a lesson about keeping his room clean but it's a slooooow process. Today, Episode Two: Who Left Those Wrappers On My Bed???!!!
My assistant, Sophie, is the sweetest girl ever and she loves all creatures. She will tell you heart breaking stories about giant African millipedes. Last week at lunch Ozge said she was trying to scare ants off without killing them. Sophie said, "Just kill them, they're awful!" In my opinion if Sophie says kill them, they have to die. Ashley has laid out every over the counter poison available and this week they tried to kill him back. Monday morning Ashley went to take a shower and found a paper plate with pizza remains in the bathroom trash can crawling with ants (Episode Three: Wha????) He rushed it to the backyard, naked, and while running back he sliced open his big toe on the cement. I thought he needed stitches but he heals well.
I'm sad about what this has done to me. When I wash dishes I enjoy pouring hot water on them. I like to smash them and watch as they run for their lives. I think I'm going to come back and find they were scared off by all the many dead, but they keep doing what they were doing, looking for baloney or eggs. And then I feel even LESS sorry for them and the killing continues.
Oh well.
Next, on the list, pantry moths.

Better Late Than Never?

Last week I went for escargot and Kir royales with Mike and Erik and I returned a book to Mike that I've had for 27 years. It is a hardback first edition of Hotel New Hampshire. I know at first I kept it because I liked it. Then I probably kept it because I moved around a lot and always forgot about it. Then I kept it because I wanted to and figured he forgot about it. Then we moved and I found it again and thought, oh well. I probably only read it once in the 80's anyway, then the movie ruined it for me. Many years ago Mike lost virtually everything he owned - the story is best told by him - he had more books, and records, and expensive clothes than anyone I knew. So he started over, and again his house is full of books. It was our goal to read EVERYTHING. At one time he had money and now he has so little but he and Erik have a motto: just buy the book. Giving someone back a book he thought was lost with everything else, giving it back to someone who loves books - I felt guilty for keeping it so long, but my heart hurt more to see the joy it brought. Then he opened the book, which I hadn't done, and pressed inside was a boutoniere from some long ago school dance.

Halloweens Past

Here are a couple of costumes back when I had time to make stuff and Theron had no opinion about what he was. This is him at 3 months. He is a bee. This costume was made by cutting up one of daddy's t-shirts. The stripe is a strip of one sleeve slipped over the top of a yellow onesie - no sewing. The hat is the other sleeve that I sewed across the top and twisted the corners with yarn. The wings are backer rod with trash-bag plastic.

This is the bee with his bottle

The next year he was a chia pet. The costume base is a long sleeve shirt and pajama pants from a discount store, that I dyed with Rit, to be the terracotta body. The hat and the body are simple rectangles that I knit in a garter stitch, using a Rowan wool tweed and green eyelash yarn. The eyelash yarn is knit with the wool every third row. The closure at the bottom was a snap closure I cut out of an old onesie.



This year he wants to be a pirate. In order to get an eyepatch I had to buy a moustache and beard. Of course he had to try it out and now I find the beard, or piece of it? everywhere - stuck to the chair, stuck to my car keys, stuck to the kitchen cabinets. If it gets stuck to the trash can that's it.

Done!

I finished the quilt this weekend and we presented it to Steven today. We all think it is the best one ever. More photos at Flickr.

Friday night I went on my own to see Michael's new play. I don't think I'll write the name because this is a family blog, but it was soooo funny. He wrote and starred in it, Erik did all the art and there were some of Erik's paintings in the lobby, too.

Last night were the Santa Ana winds that woke me up at 3. I laid there in fear as Ash slept. The winds were so loud I felt like we were on a ship in the eye of the storm. Theron got up at 4 and got in bed with us. He said, "It sounds like the ocean!". I agreed. Ash couldn't understand what I was afraid of.

A partial list includes:

- pinecones being flung at such high speeds they start breaking windows

- A tree falling on the car

- The house being wrenched from the foundation and landing on a witch

- The reason it sounds like we're in a storm on the ocean is because we are

I was hoping the wind would calm down by morning and if anything it was worse and I overheard the weatherman saying it has something to do with warm air and the wind rushing to the ocean. EEeeeiiii! I drove Theron to school and at the lot in the park, where we park everyday, he asked to sit on the cannon. (he loves to do that) I said, "What?! Look outside!" and we watched what looked like the result of several firehoses spraying dirt in every direction. Right next to an uprooted tree.

"Oh", he said.

p.s. Ashley says he can sleep through wind because he is from Oklahoma! He also says there is no way pine cones can become deadly projectiles.

Cute!

How 'bout some links today?

Skeleton tutorial: Small Object
Ghost Walkers Tutorial: Also Small Object
Entire Halloween House: Small Object
Little landscape pincushions in teacups from Mimikirchner.com

p.s. Mom or Dad, does anyone know what happened to my teacup collection???

Booty juggler game : By 4Mations

p.s. the 7th was our two year blog-a-versary. Time goes by so fast...

Apple Pudding

This is for Odile who has too many apples, from the book, Great British Cooking: A Well Kept Secret by Jane Garmey. I copied it from a library book 20 years ago and it never fails to satisfy. It looks good and tastes divine.

APPLE CINNAMON PUDDING

2 eggs
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/3 cup light cream
4 oz butter
1 3/4 cup flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
4 med sized apples

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F

Beat eggs and 1 cup of sugar. Bring cream and butter to just below boiling point over a low heat. Remove and pour onto the egg and sugar. Fold in flour, baking powder and cinnamon.

Grease a square 9" x 9" baking pan. Pour in the mixture and arrange the apples on top. Cover with the remaining sugar and bake for about 20 minutes or until firm (I always seem to end up baking it for closer to 40 minutes).

Project Time

A few weeks ago Ashley saw me cutting fabric and asked what it was for.

"Your worst nightmare", I said.

"Which one?"

The baby quilt nightmare, of course! This one is for our head curator/interim director whose baby boy is due in less than 2 weeks. I've just started this Flickr group to show the various patches. There are only two in there right now but I'll be adding as they come in.

Popeye: Pros and Cons

Pros: He endorses a healthy, though limited, diet rich in iron, potassium, magnesium, and folic acid.
Cons: He mumbles and solves all his problems with his mutant fists.

Conclusion: Though neither are good about using their words, Popeye's still probably better than the Power Rangers whose powers are a mystery. Popeye does not require spandex or a secret identity, he am who he am. Also, the characters like to sing and dance and it's really cute.

Odds and Ends

today at the farmer's market in Montrose

Theron's team, the Golden Dragons, are doing great. Unfortunately Theron thinks because defense is "his thing" he hesitates to follow the ball down the field to the goal. Overall we really like the team because all the kids seem to get along so well.

This is a picture of lunch a week ago in Chinatown.

from left: Lalena, Kianga, Kerry, Vanessa, Me, Peg

I'm showing the picture because it was legendary. The food was DELICIOUS. We go to lunch as a group every week for Fun Friday and this was one for the books. For instance, everyone LOVED the eggplant and the majority of us say we usually hate eggplant.

Scott took the picture with his new IPhone. Kianga's making a face because her Blackberry could do that too. Scott showed gentlemanly restraint in not engaging in the Blackberry/Iphone debate but Kianga doesn't let up on him so easily.

Anyway the food was better than I bet it is at this place.

Speaking of food, this culprit (culprits?) found an old KFC chicken pot pie, ate it in the backyard, and left muddy footprints all over an air mattress.

Sneaky Legacy

Theron's teacher told us that he gets in trouble for "sneak reading". He's been spoken to and we take it seriously but it also made me miss Grandma Hope all the more. If she were here she would tell him how she would let food burn while she sat enjoying her book. She would make him laugh and make him feel proud to be part of a family that loves reading to a fault.

Still Here

Don't give up on us yet. This was probably the first time we got close to trying to unpack. Theron had a game on Saturday and pictures on Sunday. Oh, yeah, and practice Friday. At practice some British football players came to guest coach and it was very cute. The kids were really fired up. Theron said the guy kept saying "Mate" and he thought that was pretty great. I did not make the banner this year but I really really wanted to. However, the old banner got new life because another Green Hawks teams cut it up and reused it.
Anyway, more soon...

Getting To Know You

Tell me if this would annoy you?

You to a seven year old: Behave or else.
Seven year old: Or else what?

This is the the type of conversation Theron had with the principal, the first day of school, following similar exchanges with his teacher. Theron does these kind of things because he can't tell when he's making people angry and also because he really just wants to know. He does it to us all the time and we tell him it's none of his business, but he just can't stop talking. Almost never does Theron mean to be disrespectful, but I can see where people would be mad. Let's say the exchange was like this:

You: Please take this charge off my account.
Seemingly disinterested credit card company employee: Or else what?

You wouldn't say, Hmm, she must be a very curious person.

I was home sick when all this happened and tried to ignore the phone. After about 9 calls I finally picked up and Ashley asked if the school had called. When I finally went back to work today I had messages there, too, and I thought they all sounded so equally worked up that I couldn't really tell which one had come first. I give up much easier. Not Ashley, though. Pity the cable company service rep who thinks they can get rid of Ash by putting him on hold for one hour. Oh, no, my friend.

Even knowing Theron we still get upset at the constant questions. During the worst days of the move no one in the Birdyhead family had any sense of humor left. Ashley, by himself, was loading and strapping large items to the top of his car at least twice a day, after work. One day Theron saw him doing this and must have thought, Hey, Daddy, how do you do that to make sure nothing falls off? Instead he says, "Isn't that stuff gonna fall off?" When they talked about it later it turned out Theron didn't realize everything gets tied down. He just assessed the situation and thought he should say something.

Labor Day Weekend - I woke up Saturday morning with a sore throat and I didn't get out of bed to go to work again until today. Anyone who has trouble sleeping should get this cold because the main symptom after the sore throat, congestion, sneezing, ear ache, is extreme fatigue. Sleep was soooo delicious. There was a lot of sweating, though, I hate that. The funny thing is, my throat is still froggy, but I went to work and felt way more rested than I have since our move started. Not only did I feel rested, but when I wrote to my friend Mike this morning, instead of signing off as I usually do lately, with "Everyone is driving me crazy today", I couldn't because it wasn't even true as a joke. So, I think I got over a case of the Grumps, too.

Who Else, But You, Would Want It

For bedtime we're re-reading The Cricket in Times Square, in which Tucker Mouse sighs, "Where but New York could a mouse have ice in his Coca Cola?" Theron held his drink up in a toast this afternoon, declaring his version, "Where else but Los Angeles could a boy have pickle juice in a glass?"

Did you know that your seat belts are covered under your car's powertrain warranty? Did you know that they're covered even if someone broke one of them by wedging a Skittle in the buckle and you disclose it to the dealership?

Slowly we're unpacking and arranging our new life. We really like it here, it's so lovely and quiet. This weekend we got rid of even more old stuff. It makes me feel really good to know that someone else's little one will have one little thing they need. So many people have helped us along the way, we feel grateful to give it back when we can.

Theron starts school next week. He's a little apprehensive about going to a new place and leaving camp - change is hard. The realization of all these changes has caught up with him this week and he's feeling it, but we keep assuring him it will be great because we know it will be. He started soccer practice and maybe some of these kids will be at his school and maybe some of them live nearby and we can have playdates and a regular life. And he's so cute and grown up. His other front tooth is coming in but for now they're so big in proportion to his face, I told Ashley when I see him in profile, arguing some case or another to his Daddy, he looks like a bratty little squirrel.

The Next Chapter

Ashley said today that he doesn't really need to make any more trips to the old house unless he wants to, so the next phase begins. Normally I get really attached to things and places, I think Ashley does, too, but somehow this feels okay. Leaving Echo Park is okay. Though the neighborhood is changing it's still not great for kids and where we are now, is, so as far as we're concerned that's what counts for all of us at this point.
Now the big sort begins. We've thrown away and given away so much already, but surely more can go, and again, we're ready. We have a covered patio and boxes are there awaiting attention. By the way, I had put out some very nice baby things on the sidewalk last week. Theron was distraught. But the next day, on the way to day camp, he said we should drive by to see if anyone took them. "I hope so" he said. And they were gone. Theron said "Yay!" And that gives us hope about what he's learning from all of this.
The change is good and we're really happy.
What we have learned:
- The Bissell Little Green Machine tackles stains like you wouldn't believe. THANKS, MOM!
- The public library has the forms for changing your voter registration.
- You can print out official change of address forms from the DMV website.
- You can actually do a change of address through the U.S. Post Office on their website and to verify your identity they charge one dollar on your credit card.
- Little kids can help by: Putting things in the shredder, with you close by; wipe things with a spray bottle and paper towels; vacuum a little; take things to the trash or recycle; water the plants.

Exhausted

Too much stuff. Dish pan hands. Pain. Arguments with 7 year old about what makes something a baby toy and why he doesn't need it anymore. Going over calendar to see what day one could call in sick or come in late - no, no, no, no, no - that was easy. Do laundry then put in bag for Goodwill. Fill boxes now according to size of objects, not type. Move it. Start again. And goodnight...

Oh, no, I'm so bad with the posting. When we started this move we thought 'how luxurious, we have a MONTH to be out of the old place!' Now we only have until Monday and the amount of stuff we own is just exploding from every crevice. We are so grateful to Grandpa Richard and Grandma Mary for coming down with a big truck. Ash and Richard moved the refrigerator, stove, washer and dryer. Big relief. Mom helped clean and go with me to dump our HUGE load of bags at the Salvation Army, then run away really fast.

But we're home now. It's a mess here, too, but it really feels like home and we're happy.

Theron says today, "Thank God for the weekend 'cause I need a break!"
This is what Theron's week is like: One day a week they go to the beach. Two days a week they go to the public pool. Wednesdays they take a field trip; last week it was Knott's Berry Farm. He says he doesn't like going to the beach. Do you know why? Because it's too sandy, that's why.
In the meantime Ashley and I have been taking daily trips to the old house trying to sort and pack and it just looks like a tornado went through. It's so easy at first to put books and cds into boxes and label everything. But now we just stand there not knowing what to do. Just looking around for like items - I don't know. Here's a chicken, a cup of pennies, the library book I convinced the library to take off my account because I swore I remembered returning it. I do remember returning it, and yet here it is in my house. Now I'm going to have to smuggle it back in.

The Future

Theron: Sometimes the link to Netflix View Instantly on the desktop doesn't work and I have to go to Internet Explorer.
Me: Oh, dear.
Theron: (shrug) It's just irritating.

Where we hang our hats

So, just a quick post, we're now sleeping at the new house. Friday I came home and found out the phone and internet were turned off. I guess I missed the details of the shutoff timeline since Theron was dying in the car while the Ash was making the arrangements. Anyway, Ash and I talked about it for one second. If there's no phone or internet we basically don't have a home so I started throwing stuff in the car and told Theron to put his shoes on. He's all, 'Mommy, I don't have a shirt because you put all my clothes in the car!', but we found one on the floor and we were on the road. AFTER, I had run out barefoot to turn off the sprinkler and got stung by something in the lawn. Ashley was giving Theron a time-out and told me to put a baking powder paste on it. So I hobbled into the kitchen and put on the paste which then fizzed up. It's baking SODA! Sorry! I got some Benadryl and we were on the road. My throat started to itch and close up but we got here and set up for the night.
The cable guy came this morning to set up our tvs and internet. We finally decided to bundle the cable, phone, and internet. Duh, what a deal, why did we resist? We have 200 of the most requested channels for 3 tvs at almost 1/2 of what we used to pay. I'm embarrassed to say that at one point this afternoon ALL THREE OF US were on the internet watching cable tv in different rooms at the same time. The only reason three of us aren't doing it right now is because Ashley went back for one of the beds. I'm so happy this all turned out to be cheaper because we have to economize now and when Ashley said we'd have to give up the cable I agreed, but the new season of Project Runway just started and I don't even know who I like best.
My New Yorker was in the mailbox today. Ahhh...