Techno Overload

I had a laundry list of techno gadgets and things that had to be taken care of this weekend. Technology isn't one of my strong points since my creative mind wanders and my patience is tested. It is too much for this simple gal to take really but here is the story of my day. Five Techno gadgets mastered:


8ish: Ordered cell phone. Our current cell phone, that is never used, will not work in near future. Was told it was of dire importance to order a new phone or the earth may stop rotating(or something like that) yadda yadda. Order phone with 2 days to go till deadline, after ordering phone realize old phone will still work. New phone will not work until Mid-April. Mutter few choice words to computer screen and write "Switch Phones" on April calendar since my memory is fleeting.
8:30: Get out untouched Digital Photo Frame keychain from Christmas. Stare at it blankly. Is this useful? No. Then realize it could be a great distraction to the wee ones in a long grocery store line. Start working quickly. Pick past pictures of favorite trips and pics of the babes.
9:00 Admire pics of kids on keychain slideshow and call in the Crew to watch with me. The four of us squeeze together to watch a 1.5" screen for a few seconds.
9:03 Eat pudding. Eye Gretas bright Pink MP3 player in its package. Walk away. Give in and start trying to pull apart insanely tough plastic packaging.
9:20 With packaging off finally! Plug into the poor 'puter to charge and download music.
9:30 Overwhelmed with the power of having every Flogging Molly song at my fingertips, downloadable in seconds. Loose all focus. Start getting the shakes from lack of food since my pudding breakfast. Eat half a quesadilla and more pudding (for the calcium, ahem..)
11:00 Set up the MP3 dock so we can blast music. Realize we're out of AAA batteries. Start a list. Starting to feel smug since I am conquering tech gadgets. Jeff reminds me MP3 players work in our car. Huff off to the garage to spend one- on -one time with 10 pound car manual. Add cord to shopping list.
12:00 Ready to shop but notice new landline phones staring at me.(ours died) Thought it would be a quick setup.
12:15 Get phones out of packaging and start putting in battery packs. See small writing on batteries " Must charge 15-20 hours before plugging into phone line" Mutter more words under breath. Plug in phones. Start getting kids ready for shopping.
1:42 Finally heading out the door with list in hand. Decide to make stop at grocery store for jalepeno dip ingredients. It may be a long night for me. Buy batteries, cords, another MP3 player for Jeff (he didn't get pink), a stop at Greta's pre-school so she could lurk around and peek in windows like a creepy stalker and then home again. Greta remembers she found 2 penny's in the parking lot and lost them in her carseat. Ask's me to take apart entire carseat to find them. Nope.
3:00 Give stink eye to the charging phones on the counter, fight with batteries and cords. Everythings working!
3:30 Realize I haven't set up the new(much needed) coffee maker. Directions at first glance believed to be in Latin. Is Latin a friendly language?.. not when it is used for directions. Try to decide if we really need a charcoal filter in the coffeemaker. It would be much easier to skip that step.
4:30 We now have working coffee maker and coffee that will be purer than our drinking water from the tap. Realize we don't have #4 coffee filters. Insert more muttering.......Here.
4:32 Decide to get them tomorrow. Throw all manuals, registration cards and misc paper in a big pile.
4:40 Ready to veg out on couch knowing that I could go jogging tomorrow, listening to new tunes, watching my little peeps on my little keychain, calling on my cell phone to the newly working landline phone to tell Jeff to have fresh steaming coffee waiting for me. Only one part of this sounds absurd.... like I would go jogging.

A Little Concerned for His Future

We are moving up the pet scale from rock and plant to fish. Never mind that I rescued the withering plant from her window sill it was time to upgrade to a moving object. I am happy to introduce NaNa (pronounced Nay Nay with long A's) to our Crew. Lets be honest, we all know who will end up taking care of NaNa especially after I pledged to be his guardian angel, already saving him from consuming a lentil. We had a talk and Miss Greta has decided cookies and rice are also not acceptable foods. As for the newest members name, Miss Greta told me it was a Chinese word. Me only knowing the Chinese word for hello, grandpa and snow I am truly clueless. I hope NaNa will help ease up the talk about a future puppy. I see how she treats her lifelike toy puppy "Fluffy". Dragging him up and down the hallway over and over with an overly tight leash. It is a bit disturbing to watch and leaves a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach so we have a ways to go before we bring a four legged friend into the house.

I do have to say I am a little concerned for what may lie ahead for NaNa. If so, I guess we can chuck it up to a valuable life lesson that we all eventually learn. So as I say to the terrified ladybugs and butterflies in our backyard each spring. Godspeed my friend. Welcome to our family.

Winter Blues Random Thoughts

So I am having a bit of the winter blues today even though we have some sunshine and our back deck is snow free for the first time in months. I brought some sunshine into the house in the form of tulips to brighten it up a bit but they didn't cure me. The poor flower lady told me once again that aspirin is good for tulips and sugar works as flower food for the rest. Good information but it goes in one ear and out the other like when my hygenist tells me to floss. Miss Greta has been a bit random too by declaring a dislike for telephone poles that she can't explain. I think Fieldin thinks our world is covered in white since all he sees are frozen trees and snow. Jeff pulled off a frozen door handle belonging to poor Little Red Truck. Greta is missing her bicycle and outdoor easel and I have forgotten what our yard looks like. Today I am dreaming of t-shirts, bulbs and flip-flops... Anyone else?

He Laughs

Little Fieldin will be 4 months in one week. I thought this was a good time to catch you up again on his ever changing personality. Here is what I currently know about Mr. Fieldin:

He has a deep voice when he laughs and a high pitched squeal when he "talks". He has my laugh along with Miss Greta. Greta is still his favorite. He is smiles ALOT. He is extremely mellow. He cries when we eat in front of him, and cries harder when Greta taunts him with an apple. He is very long and very heavy. He is funny without even having to speak. He doesn't like to be on his stomach but he loves to stand. He cries if I don't let him bang on the keyboard. When he does cry he still kind of cries like a girl. He loves his binky. He sleeps well at night but not during the day. He loves noise(which is a good thing). He is not afraid of people(just like his sister). He has to be carried outward so he can see. He likes playing Fieldy Monster with Greta. He'd rather not wear pants. If he had teeth he would have eaten his hand by now. He likes his mobile unless it sticks then he gets pissy. He only poops for me. He is awesome. I think he is going to be the strong silent type. He loves attention. He's getting more hair daily which is very very blonde. He is going to have blue eyes. He likes getting baths now(probably because he doesn't have to wear pants) He likes watching sports on TV with daddy and gets sneaky when we try to stop him from watching the TV. He likes to rap.

The Girls Got Skills

So Greta went bowling for the first time today. Now, you must know that no first experience is ever quite normal for Miss Greta. Which is why nothing phases her. This may be because her mommy and daddy are a bit crazy and excitable, but mostly because Miss Greta has luck on her side. She started her bowling experience like this. Watching her first lone gutter ball make it's way down the lane and she ended it like this.

This is Greta with some new friends. She didn't have boring ol' mommy and daddy showing her to bowl, oh no, she had extremely nice kids from the WSU girls crew team and guys from the WSU mens baseball team showing her to bowl with Butch the Cougar cheering her on. It was fun. Lots of fun. WSU college kids are awesome, and yes, I am partial. Two hours later, Greta came home smiling ear to ear wearing 3 medals (a medal for each spare) and with autographs from the the whole womans crew team and half the mens baseball team. When we asked what her favorite part about bowling was she said"bowling with butch"."What about bowling with me?" asked daddy. "You were o.k." she said. It's alright Miss Greta. How can we compete. You'll realize how awesome we are someday...Sorry to tell you your next time bowling may be a bit of a let down after this. Oh and Fieldin, you ask? He slept, but did get a silent hand bump from Butch. Sorry buddy. No bowling for you. Better luck next time.

It was Flan-tastic

So my flan wasn't a flop. It worried me though. It didn't look like the one I made while in high school but I guess that is probably a good thing. I got this recipe from a Seattle Mariners cookbook that Jeff bought while he was working there years back. The recipe is from Stan Javier that used to play in the outfield. If a baseball player makes it, it's got to be good right?

4 eggs, beaten
1 14 oz can sweet condensed milk
2 8 oz cans evaporated milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups water
1 cup sugar
3 cinnamon sticks

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In bowl combine eggs, condensed milk, evaporated milk and vanilla. In a saucepan make caramel with water, sugar and cinnamon sticks over medium heat. ***This is a long process. If you have carpel tunnel syndrome or a lack of patience I don't recommend it. In a 9 x 13 casserole dish pour milk mixture and then top with caramel mixture. Bake 45-60 minutes ( I cook it for 60 minutes)Serves 8.

In other news. Greta is back to normal Greta and Fieldin loves a party. As for me and Jeff, we hear there is a Sonic Burger coming to town. I will need to work on my self -restraint.

Sick Greta Soup

So Miss Greta woke up with a bit of a snuffly nose this morning but she never stays sick for long. She is actually already on the upswing running around the house hyper as usual. The longest I have ever seen her ill was about 2 1/2 days. I can count on one hand the number of times she's been under the weather. When sickness hits we start the morning on the couch, me giving her cups of water after water, then we eat Sick Greta Soup and by afternoon she is already back to normal Greta. This may change since we have entered the realm of pre-school germs but I hope it doesn't. I made this soup for Greta the first time she was sick at age one. She has always liked it. I am posting my sad recipe for Sick Greta Soup so next time I know where to find it..... besides the groggy cobwebbed corners of my brain. P.S. Mom & Dad you sound like you need this too. Get Well Soon!

My Sad Recipe For Sick Greta Soup

Take a large soup pot. Fill half the pot full of half water & half low sodium chicken stock. Add 3 diced carrots, 3 diced red potatoes. Boil. Then add egg noodles and boil for about 8 minutes. Then I add Herbs De Provence to taste (thats not very much in our house). Then add frozen peas and corn. Let simmer for a few minutes.

At some point today I need to make Flan for 16 people for a party tomorrow. The dessert needs to be wheat/flour free so Flan was suggested. I hope it comes out Flan-tastic...I know, I know.

The Caffeine Killed It

My apologies for being so quiet this week. All four of us have changed our schedules in some shape or form the last few days so we are working out the kinks. So far no one has been late, lost or left behind so I would say we are doing pretty well. Greta is still enjoying pre-school. She comes home daily covered in pounds of sand from head to toe. I am wondering if there is a sand oasis hiding behind the pre-school building because I am sure no sand box could hold the amount of sand she brings home each day. I honestly think she skips pre-school and heads to the river and lounges at the beach. Especially since when we ask her what she did at preschool she says "Nothing, just played in the sand".
I also have some sobering news to share this morning. I am in mourning. Our coffee maker died this A.M. without any warning or signs of illness. We tried resuscitating it by plugging poor Mr. Coffee into different outlets. Nothing brought him back. I am taking my moment of silence now....

I Didn't Cry Like a Fieldin

Today Greta went to pre-school for the first time. It went great. It didn't phase her. It was just another day. Oh, to be like Greta. To have nerves of steel and to be able to walk into a room with such confidence, boy Greta, you have such strong qualities about you. She wasn't nervous or worried about herself. Just worried about me. "Mommy" she said. "Don't worry, I'll be back. Don't cry o.k. mommy."Just between you and me, it was hard not to. After meeting her teachers(awesome by the way) and finding her cubby she was off playing and meeting new friends. After a few minutes noticing her poor parents hadn't left yet she came over and said"You can go now" and was off again.

After pre-school we took a trip to Ferdinands for a First Day treat and I guess her favorite part of pre-school today was the sand box at playtime. She is looking forward to going back tomorrow.

Today is also a great day of political change which Miss Greta seemed interested in while we watched anxiously on T.V. this morning. "Is that the President of the United States?" she asked. "yep" I said. " So he's moving in and the other guy is moving out? she asked. "Yes, it's an exciting day". "Yes" said Greta. "There's alot of police cars"......

Mommy's Painting On The Walls Again......

Those words aren't muttered very often are they? Usually it is the opposite problem, kids drawing on the walls. Not around here, Greta paints neatly on proper painting paper while I shoot for the bigger canvas. That's a benefit of being a grown up I guess, writing on the walls without a timeout....Today I finished Gretas bedroom. I started painting in her room a year ago when she staked claim on the larger of the two bedrooms (8 months before baby brother could get to it). I was done except for one request. A painted pig. "Hmmmm" I would say. I really thought she would change her mind on the pig, not sure why, but I gave her a year to think on it. If she still wanted one, I would paint it for her. Two months ago the "pig" started coming up in conversations like this one, "I can't sleep because I don't have a pig on my wall, I would REALLY like a pig on my wall". So coming through on my promise I painted not only a pig but a flying pig for more 3 year old whimsy. She likes her pig but she said she would like it better next to a cow. Here we go again......

So That's Where My Penny Came From....

Sorry...No photo today. Taking a day to let me and the camara recharge. I did learn about money distribution today from Miss Greta that I wanted to share. After running errands today, Greta asked for all my money, which I'm very used to, so I gave her some coins. Then she asked where coins come from. Admittedly being off my game today, I started droning on and on about the US Mint... I know. How Boring. After some silence I looked at Greta who was looking at me blankly like "Is that all you got for me, come on" and started telling me the real story of coins. They come from the desert, are loaded onto trucks. The trucks drop the change onto our streets. Then we pick up the pennies and change off the street and put it in our piggy banks. Ingenious! I think the trucks keep passing up my street because my piggy bank is getting low.....

While He Was Sleeping

Little Fieldin took a long nap today, which rarely happens so Greta and I acted fast decorating for a lunchtime party she wanted to throw. Trust me this girl knows how to throw a party. She pulled out a "party dress" and got to work making butterfly streamers, nameplates and making sure everything was just so.

I was very underdressed with my sweatpants but made up for it by doing the cooking. We made Grandma Harrisons recipe for scalloped potatoes and the house still smells wonderful........

While I cooked Greta read some of her "theme of the week" books from her bookshelves. Of course this weeks theme is "Going to School" Her favorite so far, "Froggy goes to school". I also have some favorite quotes of the day from Miss Greta...."Big Humans (adults) don't like that word do they? and while chatting with Fieldin "Were you scared in mommy's tummy? Did you eat all her food?"

A Bit of Spring Fever

This little bit of sunshine we've had these two days has us grabbing for our rainboots instead 0f the snow boots and happily passing by our mittens on the way out the door. This winter sun break reminds us of our springtime rituals. Afternoon strolls, feeling warm patches of sun in late afternoon come through our windows, Gretas butterfly net ("no butterflies today" she said so the net collected damp rocks instead), hearing birds sing and feeding our animal friends at the park. We collected some aging bread and fruit and headed to the park to do a mid-winter check of the animals. Oh, how happy they were to see Miss Greta again. Especially the pink pig and the black pig. When we got home, we started a special "pig food" basket with a pig tag drawn by Greta to remind us of our duty to supply the pigs, llamas and goats with snacks. We'll fill the basket with scraps and breads instead of Greta emptying the fridge for "piggy food" each visit. Little Fieldin was very happy to be free of his arctic suit and feel some sunshine on his face. He loved watching Greta climb the melting mountains of snow in the front yard. We've been patient with the weather and Springtime gave us a sneak peek today of what is to come....eventually.

Fairy Elf slippers for Miss Greta

Gretas elf slipper, originally uploaded by inthewheatfields.

While cleaning my crafty stuff the other day, Greta found this pattern and REALLY wanted a pair of Elf Slippers. I wish I knew who to give pattern credit to but there is no info on the card and not sure how this got into my crafty stuff in the first place. Maybe fairy magic? I finished this lone one late last night and hope to start on the second today. This is, if I find a moment between indoor campouts, treasure hunts, laundry and some light snow shoveling. Have a magical Sunday everyone.

Little Red Truck Is All Grown Up

Most people are attached to their vehicles, but Little Red Truck is part of our family. He turns 18 years old next month and has a staggering 180,900 miles to show for it. He's old enough to get a credit card now, which I am sure he would use to buy a much needed new stereo. Jeff has known him for 18 years and I've been his friend for 10 years. He drove us on our first real date and now he is hauling around our first born. We have camped in him under the stars on warm summery nights, risked horrible mountain passes and braved border customs with him . He's a good guy. Never complains, even though he's never gotten a spot in the warm garage. He is usually covered in snow, rain or ice and always starts up happily EVERY morning. If only we could be so consistent. To date he has only requested the few following essentials:

Two mufflers, Two new brakes, One headlight and some motor oil.

His radio is broken, he is loosing foam from his seats, his check engine light has been on for 8 years(eventually covered with some electrical tape to stop spooking car pool buddies) and his spare tire just hangs out in the back because its holder gave up years ago.

Miss Greta adores him most of all. Cries well up if she is told they won't be taking the poor old truck on errands. When daddy goes to work in the morning, Miss Greta watches from the window and says"Good bye daddy, Good bye Little Red Truck".

I could really go on for years about stories that involve that red truck but I think you get the jest. Here is to 18 more years my friend. If you stay around long enough Miss Greta will take you for her own......

Birthday Love

Birthday Love, originally uploaded by inthewheatfields.

Thank you all for the Birthday calls and e-mails. Now that the birthday excitement is over it is time to play catch up ( the resident bakers' toadstools were very good by the way). The roads were finally clear today so the day was spent at appointments and errands that have been put off for the last couple weeks. I noticed the river is getting very high here. I hope the weather is treating you well wherever you are. I hope Mother Nature is taking a little break for a while.........

Two Capricorns and A Cake

My birthday is tomorrow. The cool thing is Jeffs birthday is the day after. For one day each year we are the same age and for one fleeting second we actually share a birthday. Then I happily pass my birthday off to Jeff to enjoy. Sharing a birthday each year is fun and we always share a cake. Two cakes sound good in theory, but it's not. Trust me. So tomorrow, for just one day, There will be two 33 year olds, a 3 year old and a 3 month old in our house. I have no idea what that means but maybe we should buy a lotto ticket or something. Today was full of card and gift making by Miss Greta and tonight the resident bakers are hard at work baking this years "wishing treat".( I eavesdropped, it's going to be cupcakes decorated like toadstools, Can't wait!) I'm not sure what Jeff is wishing for, scratch that, he'll wish for a winning seasons for the cubs. I think I may wish for a break in snow so we can get our mail delivered. I guess I'll see, I have 4 hours, 15 minutes to think about it and counting......

Need vs. Want

Just a quick note about the babe. He just turned 3 months and as of today has grown 5 inches since his birthday. That deserved a celebratory superbaby flying spin around the house. Maybe it's our water, because big sis is 3 1/2 now and a little over 3 1/2 feet tall. If they keep growing at this rate, I am doomed to be the shorty pants in this family.
Now on to Need vs. Want. I am an organizer. I tear apart our home about twice a year and get rid of clutter, move things around and horribly annoy everyone that lives with me. My organizing is never a pretty sight. Piles everywhere. It has to get worse before it can get better, right? It's the beginning of a new year and a good time to get rid of stuff that has accumulated, like 4 magazine articles on pruning (I will google it anyway). Todays projects included moving Gretas bookshelf or should I say library(my arms are still aching), Creating an art center in the kitchen for Miss Greta (so we can see our dining table again for at least a couple days) and reorganizing all my crafty stuff (that was a hard one). I know my habit is annoying but I just try to keep what we need. It's not worth just wanting something there should be a real need for it. I say this now but check back 6 months from now when I find unused yarn stashed away because I really needed it.....for something.

"WSU Here I Come............"

We have been hearing this echo through the house most recently by Miss Greta. She starts pre-school in 18 days on inauguration day. So while our country starts in a new direction so does Miss Greta. January 20th will bring excitement and change to all of us on a different level but Miss Greta is not excited about a new administration or even a new daily routine at pre-school. Miss Greta is excited to be a Coug. A Coug just like mommy and daddy. Here is why she will be a COUG in her own words:

1.)I will go up to college everyday (very true she is enrolled at a WSU pre-school and her building is on campus)

2.)I will have a backpack like the big COUG kids (but theirs don't have Disney characters;))

3.)I have a Go Cougs water bottle

So there you go, Miss Greta is now a Coug and we are so proud. Luckily we will not be paying full college tuition and she is too young to get into a sorority so I'm not too worried..... well kinda....

So to celebrate, I knitted Greta the legwarmers to match her new rainboots. She loves ribbon so I added it for prettiness and because it keeps them from sliding. They will be great for Spring (oh, please come soon) when she is splashing around in her wellies and digging in the garden. Here's to thoughts of Spring and Go Cougs!