THREE MORE DAYS

Three more days until I am on a plane bound south for a solo long weekend. I am so excited I could spit.
Relax, I have a no spitting in the house rule. (add THAT to the long list of things I never thought I'd have to make rules about. It should go between putting peanut butter on the dog and testing your gag reflex)

The kids will be on Holiday at the in-laws (thanks, guys!) starting Thursday--or tomorrow's tomorrow as we have dubbed it. Adrian informed me that holiday at Nana and Papa's is "out of control" and that it has "changed a lot since the last time you went, Mom". It's always so funny to hear these little old man phrases come out of his scrawny 6 year old frame.

This afternoon Adrian was playing with his Star Wars Lego set, which provided Fiona ample opportunities to use my favorite mispronunciation OF ALL TIME. Are you familiar with C3PO? Do you recall his little blue and white beeping buddy? According to Fiona, this guy's name is:
R- TootyToot.
It gets me EVERY TIME.

But back to me! Because really, I can talk about me all day (if by all day you mean for 15 minutes).

I will be flying to Birmingham, AL to stay with Aunt Carmela (one of my favorite people of all time in the whole universe). While there I get to see my cousins Kelsey and Katherine (man, what is it with this family and names that start with K?). I imagine food and wine and sleeping in past sunrise.

And I am going to try very very hard not to think about how "out of control" the kids holiday could possibly be.

At last

It rained today. A beautiful drenching rain that lasted a good 45 minutes and dropped the temperature to a lovely, bearable 80 degrees.

If you live in the United States, you'll know about how hideously, unbearably hot the past week has been. We keep our air conditioning at 78 degrees and it has felt like an ice box.

When we turn the air on you can be assured of 2 things: the outdoor temps are above 90 degrees, and we have turned it on to keep the children's brains from cooking in their skulls. I don't know if it is just my children or if it is ALL children, but the heat makes them grumpy and genuinely unpleasant to be around.

My patience has been wearing thin as we are on week 7 of summer break, and I simply will not put up with the bickering that comes from bored children. I banish them to the back yard or to their rooms. It's either banishment for them or a cocktail for me...

I'm not opposed to cocktails, but I do believe getting soused at noon would hinder my ability to make it to work on time...or even at all, really.

I keep telling myself that absolutely I will hit my second wind of the summer and have the drive to take the kids places (like hiking in the forest preserve! or to the water park!). But my new routine has me staying in my pajamas until I shower for work...at 2 pm. I have lost my will to GET THINGS DONE (beyond the basic necessary housekeeping duties).

Yesterday we went to Toys R Us (to spend gift cards from Christmastime) and then to Trader Joe's. I felt like we had been to the moon and back. Tomorrow is the farmer's market. I LOVE the farmer's market, but we haven't been in weeks due to my new pajama habit.

Maybe the break in the weather will be the motivation for me...that and my FAILED squash.

I was all excited for the teeny tiny baby squash that were appearing in the vine in the garden. When I went to check them this morning, they were yellowed and shrivelled.

Dear Squash,

Due to the unsatisfactory nature of our relationship, I believe it is past high time we gave up the charade. In short, it is not me. It is you.

I quit you.

Thanks,

Kara

i'm a bit, what's the word?

forgetful!
I am forgetful. Or perhaps it's just that I have eschewed my list-making for the summer. Without lists I have discovered the sieve-like qualities of my own brain. Tell me all your secrets now, because I can guarantee them forgotten by next week.

(for those of you who just come for the photos, skip to the end)

So a few posts back I mentioned going for an MRI.
I did go for one, and I felt ridiculous laying on a table with my breasts in a hole. Then I got the results of my MRI: your cyst is benign! We don't know what's causing your symptoms. Here's our bill!

I personally feel like I shouldn't have to pay my bills until I get a proper diagnosis. "Sometimes that just happens" is not a diagnosis. Western medicine can be a little silly at times.

I have been out in the garden every morning, talking to the plants, begging the plants, PLEADING with them to produce food. The bush beans are awesome and happy to oblige. The strawberries are coming around to my charms. The squash remain resolute and will give me only blossoms.

I am counting down the days until my next big adventure. There are nine. The kids will be going to the in-laws for their annual summer holiday and I will be going to Birmingham to visit with my Aunt & cousin, and get Nana's house prepped for the estate sale. Do you know what this means?! Do you?! FIVE WHOLE DAYS of adult company. FIVE WHOLE DAYS without refereeing fights, reminding people to wash hands, and preparing balanced meals. I plan to subsist on beef jerky and red wine. Not really. But I could if I wanted to.

And now I have to get ready for work.

Adrian and Rhianna

Fiona with her birthday cake and princess dress.
That's pretty much what I look like every time I try to dress up.

So far behind...

Hello all!
We have returned from our trip to Washington DC to visit my parents (and brother and friends). One night at dinner Fiona turned to my dad and said: Papa D, you're a funny old goat. (I very nearly shot tabbouleh out of my nose)
As I left my camera sitting at home I do not have a single picture. Half depressing, half oh well.
We saw museums (LOVE LOVE LOVE The National Museum of The American Indian), fireworks, and splashed in the pool.
My mom and I dreamed up a farmy future in the wilds of Maryland with bees and chickens and sheep. (Somewhere in there I'll have time for tattooing, too)
I have brought the laid-back flow of vacation home with me, which is both good and bad.
It has resulted in bypassing trips for groceries for time spent in the garden* and laying around with iced tea for time spent making art.
I suppose I could start anew next week...it is Friday already, after all.

I hope that July is treating you well!

*there is a disturbing lack of insects of all kinds, from bees to lady bugs to butterflies. It makes me want to track down whomever is using pesticides and tell them to KNOCK IT OFF. I have resorted to pollinating my squash plants with a paintbrush.
Suburbia is quickly losing it's charm.