I Rock!!!!

At least First Grader thinks so.

 She also super loves me. I am one lucky momma- Thursday, March 15.

A Leprechaun, Vanity, and Pork Chops (Finally)

I went to pick up Little One from preschool today and instead was asked to take home this leprechaun for the day. Her teachers said it was some sort of child-leprechaun exchange program. I figured why not participate- maybe Little One will come home with a pot of gold when I get her back.

A mighty cute leprechaun- Wednesday, March 14.

We have a female cardinal who has taken to positioning herself on some perch on our deck (it had most popularly been the grill, until we moved it yesterday) and then repeatedly flying into the sliding glass doors. From what I have read, this is a fairly common behavior, particularly for cardinals and robins during mating season. It is believed that these birds do not have the ability to differentiate between a rival bird and their own reflection (even after repeated personal contact with the glass), so they continue to attack themselves over and over. I was a bit concerned for the overall safety of the bird, and was only slightly comforted when I read the following: "Despite the violent appearance of this behavior, from the other side of the window, the birds very rarely kill themselves, all though there could be injury to the bird's beak if the behavior continues."

Here is a still shot of her just about to crash into the glass door- Taken Saturday, March 3.

This is my first attempt at posting a video. Here's hoping it works. Female Cardinal attacking the door- Saturday, March 3.

But then this morning, I heard a familiar sound at the front window, though more subdued than usual. When I went to investigate, I found a cute little female cardinal, perched on the window sill quietly tapping on the glass. No violent, life-threatening approaches, just a quiet flight in, some pecks on the glass, and a curious eye. There was clearly no motive of scaring away a rival bird this morning. I think she was flying in to check herself out. Territory all defended, she wanted to be sure she was looking her best for the potential suitors who might come her way. Vanity suits this bird, she is a beauty. And I was very glad to see her feeling quiet and pretty instead of like she wanted to bang her head against the wall- Wednesday, March 14.

 The pork chops. They were worth the wait- Wednesday, March 14.

Getting Ready to Grill

I've got pork chops marinating in the refrigerator and thoughts of an easy dinner on the brain. Since two out of the my three children came inside today acting as though they had heat stroke, I figured it is warm enough to grill out tonight, which makes me happy (the grilling out part, not the heat stroke part). It obviously was not heat stroke in either situation, but it made me think that a 75 degree day in what is technically still winter might be almost as shocking to the system as a 100 degree day in the summer. Thankfully both children have fully recovered and one of them is outside again as I type. It's all good! In fact, it is really good because I can grill out tonight. The ONLY two kinds of cooking that I view with mild enthusiasm are using a crock pot and grilling. But of the two, grilling is way better because I don't have to clean the remnants of a day's worth of slow roasting from the heating surface. I've found if I just keep the grill on low while we eat, what's left on the grates gets thoroughly charred and easily brushes right off when the grill cools down. My kind of cooking!

This picture has nothing to do with grilling out or late winter heat stroke. Just some great puffy clouds and trees with buds small enough I can still pretend the branches are bare- Tuesday, March 13.

(Time lapse of 5+ hours...) I had purposely waited to post this so I could include a nice shot of the pork chops on the grill, but I encountered one small problem in the meantime. Between thawing and marinating the chops and stepping outside to actually turn on the grill, I realized that the grill was still perched in its winter storage location, our deck, which happens to have a plastic ceiling. I had gotten pretty excited about eating grilled pork chops for dinner, so I kept telling myself it would be okay to go ahead and grill on the deck, but then I thought of the patch of siding on the back of the garage that is bubbled and buckled from a previous grilling mishap, and decided I better not risk melting the ceiling, too. So, since My Husband would not be coming home until well after dinner-making time, I decided to try to round up one of my neighbors to help me move the grill down the two steps to the patio, where it sits for the non-winter months. My go-to neighbor did not answer his door. My second choice was not outside and I didn't feel like knocking on his door to ask for help because I always second guess his wife's name and was worried she might answer. There was a big, strapping teenage boy out getting the mail across the street two houses down, but I didn't know his name and I thought it might be a bit awkward yelling, "Hey you, can you come help me move my grill so I can cook dinner?" So, after hovering a bit longer in the front yard pulling weeds (Man, there are a lot of weeds already!) with no helpful neighbors in sight, I decided to save the pork chops for tomorrow night and go with everybody's favorite, leftovers. I couldn't complain, I got to use my third favorite cooking appliance- the microwave. And now I have a nice and easy pork chop dinner to not dread making all day tomorrow, thanks to My Husband, who helped me move the grill when he got home from work. Well, I guess it was more like I sort of helped him, but not really. In fact, as we were in the middle of trying to get it down the steps, he was reminded once again of what he says every year when we attempt this very thing. And I quote, "I should get one of the neighbors to help me move this thing." Good luck with that!- Tuesday, March 13.

Spring Feet

We had our first case of Spring Feet show up at bed time last night. It seems to be a seasonal condition that plagues the children beginning this time of year and ending sometime around the close of summer. Its symptoms are few, really just one tell-tale sign that can't be missed- feet that are a much darker shade than they started at the beginning of the day. The cause can be traced back to hours of play in the warming grass with feet happy to be encountering the coming of spring without the encumbrance of pesky socks and shoes. Thankfully the treatment is simple- add a squirt or two of liquid soap to a few inches of warm water in the bathtub, throw in any afflicted feet, wipe with a wet wash cloth, remove, dry with towel, and repeat as necessary. Which in this house will be nearly every evening for the next couple of months, but I can say this is one condition I don't mind treating at all!

 First Grader working on a welcome sign for spring. Look closely and you can see Little One's socks sitting behind her in the driveway- Monday, March 12.

Spring- Monday, March 12.

Some buds on my mini-rhododendron- Monday, March 12.

Too Tired for Too Many Words

I would look up the history of daylight savings time, because I am sure that there was a good reason that blessed somebody whenever it was initiated, but I am too tired because of the hour of sleep I didn't get last night to even type it into a search. And I'm too tired to type much more, so I'll let the pictures do most of the talking today.

The first and second songs written by our in house composer, The Oldest- Friday, March 9.

Two beautiful daughters and one handsome daddy all ready for this year's Daddy-Daughter Dance- Saturday, March 10.

Sunset over Gettysburg- Saturday, March 10.

The girls, home from the ball and back to the real world, muck boots and all- Sunday, March 11.

A bird house in the woods- Sunday, March 11.

Good night. Sleep tight.

One of Many Lessons Learned

I've learned a lot being married for ten years- a lot about myself and a lot about how to live with someone who, in certain ways, if very different from myself. One of those lessons learned by experience has to do with odd jobs around the house. I have come to discover that if I have enough muscles to complete a project without having to ask My Husband to get involved, I should go ahead and do it. Not that My Husband is not handy, nor does he ever deny his assistance when it is requested, but little fix it jobs are very close to the bottom of his list of enjoyable ways to spend free time, right there with having to go to the dentist or listen to country music. So, over the years I have gotten pretty handy, if I do say so myself, especially with a drill. I used to be scared to use the drill, thinking I would send the bit through my hand or get it stuck in the wall or something. Now we are pretty good friends, the drill and me. I still get a bad blister every time from trying to change the bits, but I've come to look at them with pride, sort of like war wounds gained in daring exploits with an old pal.

When we have a big project to do, My Husband and I work really well together. I like to sit and plan how the floor planks will fit in and how we will trim the edges, while he likes the measuring (always twice) and cutting (only once, due to careful measuring) and cleaning up when the job is done. But when the job is something small, that should take just a few minutes (but usually takes longer because something goes wrong or we have to make multiple trips to the basement because we didn't bring up the right tools to start with), I have found it is best to just jump in and try to start and finish it while My Husband is at work.

 Like today, for example. The threshold to our basement steps has been crumbling apart for the past couple of years. Today I decided I had had enough and determined I was going to fix it using supplies I could find in the basement. My method of working on a project usually involves thinking as I go, getting out way more stuff than I will need, and digging through the pile to make things work. My Husband does not thrive in this sort of a setting. He is much more the work it out in a neat and orderly way kind of guy (the reason I will jump into this sort of a thing only when he is not at home). I am happy to report that the threshold is currently sitting under two ten pound hand weights and a pile of books while the glue dries, and the tools and all the rest of the stuff I pulled out are neatly tucked away. A project complete and no mess to cause stress- two things My Husband will like very much- Friday, March 9.

 I also decided to patch some holes in the upstairs hallway. The fix-it juices were flowing and I figured- why waste the home improvement adrenaline? While I was at it, I glued and nailed up a broken section of trim, too- Friday, March 9.

Because of our very opposite working styles, I actually have my own set of tools. I am not always the best about putting away all of the things I use when I am finished with a project, so in order to help maintain domestic felicity, I avoid using My Husband's nicely organized tools as much as possible. I still have to use his drill, though. If I ever get my own, it will be pink, not orange- Friday, March 9.

All About Mom's Camera

With nowhere we had to be, and the only real conflict to overcome being that today is supposed to be pajama day, we decided to take the morning and go exploring. One of our favorite places to explore on a beautiful day such as today is Lake Codorus. We strapped on our muck boots (the trail we love is actually listed as being 'usually muddy in several locations') and headed out. The kids ran ahead and I took the opportunity to snap some pictures along the way.

 Little One and The Oldest forging ahead- Thursday, March 8.

 Little One stopped for just a moment, turned around to see me taking a picture, and said, "Look! This is all about mom's camera!" The Oldest turned briefly to confirm the scathing accusation, shrugged, and continued on. Little One shook her head and soon followed- Thursday, March 8.

Explorers, undaunted by Mom's photojournalism, acting natural and moving deeper still into the wilds of nature- Thursday, March 8.

Skipping stones- Thursday, March 8.

Geese. I realized today I'm not really a water fowl sort of bird lover- Thursday, March 8.

 A cool collection of trees we spotted along the way- Thursday, March 8.

 After a misstep that landed him in a little creek, The Oldest figured there would be no harm in doing some wading along the shore of the lake- Thursday, March 8.

I threw this one in just to prove that I did actually leave the house dressed in clothing today. We look like we are staring off into space because The Oldest showed me how I could flip my view finder screen around so I could see the picture while I was pointing the camera toward us. The problem with that is it's really hard to remember to look at the camera lens instead of at the adorably funny people crowded onto the little screen- Thursday, March 8.