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Thursday, June 30, 2005
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Mothers are the necessity of invention
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Last night, when I arrived home, I entered my home to find the electricity had gone out. This complicated my plans for the evening until I discovered James's solution to the lack of power. He and Mom had been watching movies all afternoon. How? When the electricity is out and you can neither sew, cook, email, telephone or listen to the radio, how exactly is it that the tv and dvd player are working? James used a car battery and a power inverter. Don't ask me how he thought of this. Boredom is the mother of invention. Or necessity or whatever.
When Mom wanted some toast to snack on, he packed it all up and headed to the kitchen. This ought to give you an idea of how he did it.
Step one: Battery
Step two: Inverter
Step three: Appliance
Step four: Finished Product
Voila!
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posted by cori
6/30/2005 04:42:00 PM
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Only James would come up with that creative invention. :) How does it feel to have an electrical genius in the house?
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Just to clear this up, one movie does not constitute movies all afternoon.
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Where to start? I seemed have missed so many blogs lately that I don't know where to begin commenting! At first I was incline to comment on each post, but then I thought "who goes back and reads old posts?" So then I thought that maybe I could just comment on the old blog posts on THIS post! But then I realized that the readers would be inconvenienced by the fact that they would constantly have to scroll down to see what I was refering to.
That got me thinking. "Can one post a comment on an old blog or should he/she simply enjoy it (or whatever) and move on, knowing that the time for commenting and/or discussing them has passed? Or, can I comment about an old blog post on a new post? And what about commenting on the new blog post? Can that comment be included in the same comment space as a comment about an old blog post? Or should I comment on the new post in a different space so as to avoid confusion by the readers?" So I decided that until I find an article that deals with Blogger Commenter's Etiquett, I decided that I would simply comment about how one should comment.
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What was that about wanting 'to avoid confusion by the readers'?
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Sorry, My purpose was not posts.
Reading English becomes very good study.
My purpose is it.
I can not understand details of English language.
But, I should delete the upper comment.
After a while, this comment is deleted, too. I'm so sorry. Maki, M
P.S. The photograph of you at Lauren's is very pretty!
How about the weather today?
Have a nice weekend!
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Oh, don't delete your comments! I like to see new people here. You're right. English is terribly hard to read. It's even worse trying to express yourself in it. I think I ought to come up a whole language all my own. :)
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I am sorry I am careless. You are right.
I am looking forward to your impression of movies and books. I learn English language.
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Wednesday, June 29, 2005
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Ready to crash
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I made it home today. After three days of painting, shopping, hammering and wallpapering, I'm glad to be able to catch a few minutes between electricity shortages to add to my blog. There are lots of pictures to post so I hope y'all have time on your hands. I'll just post a bit with each group of photos that come up so I can make an attempt at sense. And now, if you will notice the time, it is nigh onto 11pm. I'm headed upstairs. 'Night all.
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posted by cori
6/29/2005 10:53:00 PM
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Les,
Great pictural account of the past three days at my house. The only problem with the shots is that my tired and hot face is featured way too many times. I could just go down the list of pictures and comment "ugh" at every shot that includes me in it, but instead, due to lack of time, I'll say one loud "UGH" right here.
Loved spending time with you these past couple days!
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Can't help the pictures, dear one. It was, after all, you and me the whole three days.
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Raindrops keep falling on my head...
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It rained this afternoon. I sat out on the back porch enjoying the cool air and the wet drops on my face and hands. I love rain. :) I love watching it spatter on the sidewalks.
It really started to pour after a while.
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posted by cori
6/29/2005 10:51:00 PM
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How do yo do?
I like raining.
Thanks for the photos.
I visited from Laurenscoffeehour.
Have a nice day!
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Welcome to the community. I've seen you at Lauren's. Thanks for visiting!
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End product
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By the way, we didn't leave the hallway all red. We sponged over it. This is what it looks like all finished.
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posted by cori
6/29/2005 10:49:00 PM
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Coffee Hour (well, a few minutes anyhow)
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Cara and I took time out every once in a while to enjoy our daily dose of caffeine. If we look a little tired, you'll understand, I'm sure. :)
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posted by cori
6/29/2005 10:46:00 PM
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Pease porridge hot. Pease porridge cold...
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Cara and I stopped at Nick's for pizza. Next day, we debated over whether it was best to eat the leftovers hot or cold.
Either way, the best drink to compliment this meal was the original drink. Who can improve it?
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posted by cori
6/29/2005 10:23:00 PM
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What is with everyone and their food????
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Rambo? I think not.
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The gentleman with the broom became quite tempermental when I commented on his cleaning skills.
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posted by cori
6/29/2005 10:22:00 PM
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Tuesday, June 28, 2005
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Away From Home
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This morning finds me buried in the depths of a law office. No, I didn't get into so much trouble that I had to hire a lawyer to get me out. I'm actually just here for a little while as I blog and catch up on the events leading up to the moment.
Those of you who know me best have probably guessed by now that I am at Cara's house. Painting cabinets and hanging wallpaper border to help them redecorate their kitchen. Yes, I'm cheating right now and taking a break, but the office is the only place with AC, so I might's better take my break in here.
Yesterday, James and I came up to help get odd jobs done while my parents were in Philly. Mom was visiting a friend and Dad was picking up stuff from the company he works with. As James and John tried to fix a broken grill in the rain, Cara and I sponge-painted the downstairs hallway. :( It looked okay until we used the red paint. And even then, it still looked ok, but it was too modern to fit with the rest of the house. So we sponged over it again to tone it down. Now it looks pretty good.
The boys, deciding that the grill was unrepairable without an allen wrench, (what's an allen wrench, btw?) decided to solve it the 'James way' and borrow one from a neighbor. In case you were wondering, that's James's answer to any 'lack-of-tool' problem. I'm not sure if they ever did get it fixed.
Oh! Before I forget, I just have to tell y'all what a cool thing happened. Cara and I went out to Lowe's to get some paint (called 'honey butter') to cover up the red we had sponged with. We met this little old man there who worked in the paint department. He gave us a hard time for a while, telling us that he didn't really care what kind of paint we were looking for and why didn't we ask somebody else, all the time smiling to let us know he was joking. He was really nice and decided to give us the paint on clearance! For $1.50! Mrs. Horn has decided to send us for the rest of the paint trips. :)
James and John then proceeded to scare poor Tom right out of his tailwagging habit by running the electric sander. I had the easy job this time. I held the cabinet doors while Cara drilled the screws back in. (I'm not much with power tools. Much handier with a paint brush.)
Mom and Dad picked up James just as we girls finished repairing the wallpaper seams in the office. That was around four o'clock. We finished up work at around... 7:30? Somewhere around there. Then it got fun. Of course. Work stops. Play begins. We settled into the office with ice cream, pretzels and The Scarlet Pimpernel. I loved the book and simply had to see the movie. :)
This morning I awoke to Cara's cat insisting that it was time to get out of bed. I ignored it. It should be another day full of interesting surprises. (No, the cat wasn't some kind of omen. It's just a feeling.) |
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posted by cori
6/28/2005 10:14:00 AM
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Oh my Soul! That room is spectacular! Good job girls.
I didn't know that the "Pimpernel" was made into a movie! Which reminds me that that book is near the top of my reading list for the summer. I just have to look for it somewhere (we don't own it ;-().
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D, you can borrow it after Cara. :)
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You can see the hallway in the background of this picture. This was before we did the final coat of 'honey pot'. (IOW, yellow.) |
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posted by cori
6/28/2005 10:07:00 AM
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Cara and I repair the wallpaper in Mr. Horn's office. It was kinda hard to reach up above the stairs, so we concentrated our efforts at eye level. :) This picture was taken by our friendly neighborhood photographer, John. |
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posted by cori
6/28/2005 10:00:00 AM
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Saturday, June 25, 2005
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Showers. But not necessarily April showers.
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Finally!! A bloggable event! (One gets tired of typing out the events of each day when there's not really anything interesting going on.)
Emily Fisher (Slack, as was) was quite surprised to find her sister's basement filled with all of her friends and family this afternoon. Mom and I showed up at around two, parked at a school down the street and walked a block to Kristi's house where we found many of our acquaintance already assembled (and many whom I met for the first time today) and ready to surprise Emily yet again with a shower. The event was quite familiar to me. It put me greatly in mind of a similar event a year earlier. Only at that time, the decorations were geared more toward the bridal theme.
We waited quite some time after we arrived for Emily to show. (We found out later that Joy insisted on finishing a game before heading over to Kristi's.) She was definitely surprised. The guest of honor unwittingly selected tank top and shorts for her appearance. Definitely a suitable choice as far as weather goes. We all watched as she (and her niece, Trinity) opened the gifts. Since Em and Christian do not know whether to expect a boy or a girl, many of the clothes she received went along with the themes of ducks, frogs and bears. Yellow, green and white. Em received lots of gifts, from a bassinet to a handmade quilt to hangers for the baby's clothes. Lots of Huggies!
The games were somewhat unique. I'd love to know who it was that thought of them. Mrs. Slack competed against her sister, Jan, to win a sort of juggling contest. Each contender was required to hang up a certain amount of baby clothes on a clothesline, while holding a babydoll on her arm and a telephone to her ear. Of course, they were both required to hold one-sided conversations with the person of their choice. It was easy to tell that Mrs. Slack has had some experience in this area. :)
We stayed around chatting until almost everyone else had left. I so seldom get the chance to have a good talk with Joy that when I do, I indulge myself. Having known Joy since we were both seven, it's great fun sometimes to reminisce over bygone times. The day we tied Charles up in a bed sheet, strapped him in with belts and carried him down three flights of stairs to the livingroom, there to leave him until his parents arrived home. Now that was a day to remember. (Man, we were just wicked sometimes.) Joy recalled the day we dressed him up as a girl and locked him out of the house. Of course, Charles didn't know (and I don't really think we did either) that we were going to do that at the time he agreed to this little charade. I remembered the first time I slept over to Joy's house. She was turning thirteen. Being sworn to secrecy, I cannot divulge the events of that night, but just get a picture in your mind of six 13yr-old girls and a telephone. Boy, it's great to talk and laugh over good times. :) :) :)
Mom and I made the walk back to the car and headed home, picking James up on the way. He'd spent the day at the Davises's house. I haven't heard the scoop on that yet, but I'm sure that, over time, I will. |
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posted by cori
6/25/2005 07:59:00 PM
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Tuesday, June 21, 2005
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Summer is a place.
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Summer is a place. It holds the prospect of new adventure. School's out for the year and you take an annual trip to the beach or go camping. You spend time with your grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins.I remember the summer I learned to swim. And the summer I learned to ride a bike. The summer I spent in Pennsylvania by myself, visiting family. The summer I spent in Florida. And, more recently, the summer I learned to drive. Each summer is a new discovery, a new adventure with each day that comes along, each corner that you turn.
I remember when I was little, feeling the hot air blow across the top bunk of the bed that my sister and I shared. Pushing the covers off as I lay awake in bed after a long day of doing nothing in particular, and plot the next day's adventures, wishing summer would never end. But even though every summer has an end, each new summer comes along with a warm breeze or the flickering lights of the fireflies or the soft glow of the moonlight through the bedroom window or any familiar sight or sound to trigger a flood of memories of all the summers you spent growing up.
Welcome to summer!
FACT:In the Northern Hemisphere the longest day and shortest night of the year occur on this date, marking the beginning of summer. For several days before and after each solstice, the sun appears to stand still in the sky, i.e., its noontime elevation does not seem to change from day to day. |
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posted by cori
6/21/2005 08:18:00 PM
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Monday, June 20, 2005
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Pretzels and pocket watches
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My cell phone rang this afternoon. It was my mom calling. She was on her way home from Walmart where James had an eye appointment. She had called my cell phone instead of the house, since she was afraid of the telephone waking Dad. It's a good thing she did call the cell. If she'd have called the house, it certainly would have awakened my father, as I was not home to answer it. I was down the road a ways at the Davis household.
Danny had called earlier, stuck in the midst of a computer generated horse ranch in Arizona. What could I do? I couldn't leave my friend stranded in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by suspicious cowboys, with her only mode of transportation that of a horse named Bob. (Who names their horse Bob?) So of course, I had to rescue her. Dad had driven me over. (I did actually have a reason to go over and see her. It had nothing to do with computer games.) But I spent the afternoon with Danny, eating pretzels and watching her figure out how to feed chickens. I had the opportunity to witness Kyle's song writing skills and listen to Peter's lamentations on naptime. :) Nathan seemed to enjoy naptime. I saw him when I arrived, right before he was put to bed and never saw him afterward. He had gone on a vacation to dreamland and apparently got stranded, because he hadn't woke up by the time I left. |
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posted by cori
6/20/2005 05:40:00 PM
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Sunday, June 19, 2005
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Amidst much laughter
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Laughter. The expression of thought. The releasing of emotion. Most thoughts can be expressed by laughter. No matter what the emotion, it can always be relieved by laughter. If we are sad, we sometimes laugh to keep from crying. It's a preference in such a case as that. But sometimes, sometimes we just laugh for the sheer fun of it. We laugh because other people are laughing. It's contagious. You can't help catching laughter any more than you can help catching a cold. And I find that we don't control our sense of humor. It has more power over us than we have over it. I also find in this world, or at least the little corner that I've seen, so many different styles of humor. I am amazed at the quick wits of my friends. And they get a smile out of the thoughts that I pass along. Maybe that's part of why we're friends. You can't help being friends with folks that make you laugh. It's too enjoyable. And you can never really be mad at someone who makes you laugh either.
"We cannot really love anybody with whom we never laugh." -Agnes Repplier
(You may wonder what prompted these thoughts. We had Derek and Danny over last night. At one point during the evening, they both exploded into laughter. I'm still not sure why.)
Danny, I remembered you saying what a nice view we have from the front porch. And then me saying we should wait for the sunset. But we didn't get the chance so here's a picture of it from the front porch.
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posted by cori
6/19/2005 08:15:00 AM
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"Zultan!" "Gupta!" "And den...?"
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ok derek~ like they know what that means! *roar of laughter!!!!!*
GUPTA!!
ZULTAN
AND DEN????
Les- the view looks great- i've got to watch it sometime!
thanks for the photo- the tree and all looks totally cool.
btw- where were you all last night?? we were looking all over for your family!
love ya~
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I wanted to come D2, but the fates were against me. :)
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Saturday, June 18, 2005
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Oh for the ability to sleep late!
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Last night, on account of Dad working nights and none of the rest of us being all too eager to go to bed at anything approaching a reasonable hour on a Friday night, we stayed up until 12:30 watching movies. (What a productive use of our time, right?) (Wrong, by the way.) Anyhow, it was kind of fun. Haven't done that in a while. Everyone had their cup of hot tea. James had the cookie jar. Couch pillows were laid claim to and the dvd player plugged in.
I would call the first movie a comedy, but then I laugh at some things that aren't supposed to be funny. Things that are supposed to be romantic or impressive just strike me as really stupid sometimes and I just have to laugh. The second movie we watched (which was the sequel to the first) was a musical. It was funny too.
The last one we watched did a good job of mixing the romantic side of things in with the humorous side so well that I couldn't tell you in all honesty that I would class it as a comedy, but more of a drama type film. It was a story by Jane Austen that most of you have probably seen and that I have seen many times, Sense & Sensibility. I love the youngest daughter, Margaret. She seems to provide a comic relief to what is supposed to be a building tension throughout the story. I also like the family's friend, Colonel Brandon. Don't know why. I just always have.
So having stayed up so late, it is nine o'clock now and I still haven't seen James make his appearance downstairs. 'Course that doesn't mean he's asleep. I sometimes stay upstairs until ten or eleven just because I've no reason to come down before that. (At times like this, my mother will check and make sure that I am in all actuallity awake and doing something, not just being lazy.) Oh, there's James now.
The weather continues fine. I am hoping to have an arbor finished by the end of the day. Or at least near completion. So many things seem to be interupting work on it that I begin to imagine that it won't be finished until Monday at the earliest. Dad is working nights now, and so, of course, hammering is out of the question while he is sleeping.
How do I end a post like this? One that seems to have no definitive point at which to cease writing? Should I end with a killing quote that is so relative to the events today that it seems made for the moment? Or should I just leave off writing whenever I feel like it and defy all rules of writing structure? I've an idea. Why don't I just end it with a question mark? |
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posted by cori
6/18/2005 09:00:00 AM
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Friday, June 17, 2005
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Funny Photos
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These are just a couple of pics of me. Dad hired a machine to do the digging for our foundation. James and he did most of the digging, but they convinced me that it really was fun. So I got I to see for myself. I only scooped up one shovel-load. I think the fellas had more fun with their big "Tonka toy" than any little kid has with their's. James took these pictures of me all dressed up and digging in the dirt. (How else can you have any fun?)
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posted by cori
6/17/2005 07:49:00 PM
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You look so adorable! It's not every day that one moves dirt in a lovely dress without even getting said dress dirty. You never cease to amaze me. :)
I'm looking forward to seeing you tomorrow at church and telling you all about my trip!
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Can't wait to hear all about it! I'll have to see pictures sometime as well. :)
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Shopping: The Woman's Favorite Pastime
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You know the saying 'shop till you drop'? I know it well. And it never seems to take me long. Even the novelty of being at Barnes & Noble keeps me going. I mean, you can only look at so many cd's by artists you don't know, books you've read before and movies from the 60's before your feet start to drag and your head starts to hurt. Then you get that empty feeling deep inside. A longing for something. Something hot. Something tasty. (That empty feeling? It's called hunger.) So why am I telling you all this? Got me.
As you can tell by the above reference to B&N, we've been to Deptford again. I'm told we go there a lot. But it seems to me that everyone else is always going too. Many times we've even followed the Davises up there, unintentionally. We hit some new stores this time. BabiesRus, for instance. I'd never been in there before. 'Course, I've never had reason to want to be in there before but we've a baby shower coming up next month. Poor James. BabiesRus is not a man's store. I don't particularly care for it myself. Gimme Walmart anyday. James spent most of this time testing out the various rocking chairs and gliders. I spent the time fending off half a dozen sales associates who all wanted to help me find stuff I wasn't even looking for. And you should get a load of the diaper bags they've got out now. I have always thought it rather dumb that these bags are covered in little bears and stars and Winnie the Pooh characters. I mean, it's not like the baby is the one toting that thing around. Why don't they make adult-looking bags since it's the parents that have to deal with this accessory?
JoAnn Fabrics was having the world's biggest sale today. Ok, maybe not that big. But it was the whole reason we went out today. I got a new patio set for the arbor (which is still in process of being built). It's so cute! and exactly what I wanted. Mom found some (more) fabric for a(nother) quilt. I found... what did I find? Nothing I guess except my table and chairs. Did I mention those already? How 'bout their cuteness?
So anyway, yeah, I shopped until I dropped (1:30). I guess I just don't last very long. Perhaps it is because I do not take the trouble of practicing? |
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posted by cori
6/17/2005 02:31:00 PM
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Oh boy! I'm the first one to comment on your blog! What fun.
Poor James! You had to go to all those, er, feminen(spelling?) stores (Excepting B&N of course)! Which by the way, have you ever tried the peanutbutter-chocolate-layer cake that they sell in B&N? To die for!!! You should try it sometime.
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Derek, I've never tried any of the cakes in the coffee shop. Though the next time I'm finished shopping before anyone else, I may just remember that little piece of advice.
PS-Congratulations on commenting first. :)
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Wednesday, June 15, 2005
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Boggle your mind
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“Dost.”
“That’s spelled with a ‘u’.”
“No, that’s a different kind of dust.”
“D-o-s-t is not a word.”
“It most certainly is too.”
“Use it in a sentence.”
“Dost not the sun rise smiling when fair at even she sets?”
“Oh sure, if you’re gonna talk like you just came out of King Lear.”
“English is English, 16th century or otherwise and “dost” is a word.”
My family just discovered a new game. Boggle. It’s cool, but it induces a lot of arguments. (Especially when I’m used to reading Shakespeare, Austen and Henty while someone else reads Hardy Boys and comics. But it is a pretty fun game for those that like word games. There’re these little dice with letters on them that you shake up in a box, then take the lid off and start the timer. Everyone writes down as many words as they can find before the timer runs out. Then you call off the words you have and score points for ones that no one else found. But you have to be really good at word games. Or you get into arguments. |
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posted by cori
6/15/2005 04:49:00 PM
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just for the record, I have not argued during this game. It is new to some in our family but not all of us.
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"Dost" is a word - albeit, an extinct one. So there is a foundation for both sides of the argument. Always remember that it is only to be used in the second person as an archaic form of our modern equivilent "do."
Any qestions? Take it up with Random House's 2001 Webster's Unabriged Ditionary (Second Edition)
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Derek, I think the modern equivalent is 'does', isn't it? Or would that be 'doth'?
Jess, I sympathize. But I don't know how much I can sympathize with someone whose Scattergories scores consists of getting two points for "Del Monte". :)
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I hope you weren't talking about me, because I don't play Boggle, Scrabble, Scattergories, or any of the other word games.
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Tuesday, June 14, 2005
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My train of thought does find itself hijacked sometimes
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Dear me! this day seems to stretch on and on. There are days in which the 24 hours do not seem long enough to accomplish all that is needed, and then there are days when we try to kill time by boring it to death. Perhaps it is only that I have spent the day indoors. I get enough of that in the winter time, when the sun goes to sleep at four in the afternoon. But I think that summertime was invented for us to spend time outside in the sunshine and wind.
I spent the day amid books. Not just one book. That would have been too much for me. But many books. And not just books, but different sewing tasks that I have going presently. It's too hot to be quilting or crocheting anything, but smaller stuff is good to work on during a warm summer day when there are no very pressing matters.
I like June. It's not actually summer yet. It just feels like it. The activities haven't come around to full swing yet. James was just telling me he wished we could go to Music College again this year. I couldn't decide if I agree or not. Last year was good. I always enjoyed the YPA because I was with my friends the whole time, even during the preaching sessions, but I think I enjoyed Music College more for not having someone always with me. James and Derek and Yuriy were there, but they were almost never in the same session. I could be with someone I knew or I didn't have to, all according to whatever I felt like. (Of course, there were times when I couldn't find a soul.) And then, Music College was better than the YPA in that I didn't stay up all night talking or listening to the talk of my friends. When I was tired, I just fell asleep, just like at home. It was rather relaxing. And I almost didn't go, but Emily's bridal shower was that weekend and I had to choose between the YPA and Music College/bridal shower. It made for a busy weekend.
I remember the fellas trying to get me to subsist on greasy food the whole time. That was almost funny. James would've eaten pizza and burgers for every meal if I'd let him. Greasy pizza joint for lunch. Greasy pizza joint (with pineapple) for dinner. Slight intermission at DairyQueen for lunch. Oh! and then the dinner decision no one wanted to make. It was a toss up between Wawa and McDonald's, but, fearing James would buy chips and pretzels from Wawa and call it dinner, we decided on McDonald's. James must've been hungry that day because he ate his own two cheeseburgers and half of mine. Guess I wasn't exactly famished. I remember fighting with the guys over whether or not the little dots on the Coke lid was supposed to be pushed down or not. Funny the things you remember.
One thing I didn't remember was film. I was so mad at myself for that one. I had just gotten a new camera and hadn't learned how to work it yet. Do you really have to put the film inside to get it to work? Must be. :) I also remember staying up late Thursday night eating doughnuts and drinking milk.
Well, my ramblings seem to have really carried me away this time. It's been great reminiscing with the computer screen. Hope you enjoyed it as well. |
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posted by cori
6/14/2005 08:33:00 PM
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Weekends. They're just cool.
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That weekend went by awfully quickly. I think we'd better back up and try it again, slower this time. No? Why can't we? I think we ought to be able to. Well, I can at least recount it. Heh, you knew that was coming, didn't you?
Saturday dawned bright and early. Mom was up at seven, ready to hit the yard sales that we'd been seeing the signs for around town. I came down, not quite ready, but awake. Our departure was delayed by an invitation for Mom to breakfast with Dad at some new place he'd been told about at work. "Be ready to leave when I get back." And away she went.
Okay. I can do any computer work I have to get done as long as I'm ready when she gets back. That means I'd better get dressed and eat first, and then to the comp work. James wanted to go yard "sailing" with us, so I repeated my mother admonition about a state of preparedness to him. We were both ready, but poor James wasn't going to be able to come. Dad needed his help digging in the family room. So just Mom and I went.
We found the first one right across the street from the bank, or down a little ways, by the place Derek works. Mom claimed her treasures, which were few, and as soon as we got in the car, the cell phone rang. Dad couldn't get hold of the machine he needed, so James still wants to come. Could we pick him up? Yeah, sure.
The three of us took the truck and rode around Bridgeton, Milville, Rosenhayn and all the surrounding area, seeking out the yard sales with our high tech radar system that we had installed in the vehicle that morning. Yeah, right. Wouldn't it be cool if they made those? Little radar tracking devices that you could type in what you're looking for like a search engine and it'd tell you where to find them? Nah, that'd be too easy. It would save too much time.
Mom drove us over towards that man's store, Home Depot, to get some wood for my tea room. James, I love you! You are such a cool brother to want to make this thing for me! And he seems to know about wood too, which is more than I can say for myself. If it hadn't been for him, I'd have given up and gone to Lowe's. :)
That was Saturday. Sunday is after Saturday. Sunday was cool. Well, the slight drawback was a major headache all day, but Sunday was still fun.
Derek rode with us to church. Cara was not there. (That was the other drawback.) I sang really loud. You have to in order to make up for the shortage of voices in such a small church. I hung around afterwards listening to Vanessa, Derek, James and Agustie play their instruments. Since Cara wasn't there, I didn't really hang with anyone in particular. Usually Sunday is our day to catch up, but that will have to wait until she gets home from CA.
The afternoon found me sprawled on my bed, enjoying the air conditioning and a good book. I've been reading Ivanhoe. Excellent plot. Intriguing characters. Just what a book ought to be. When 3:00 hit, I went to see the Davises. Nathan is learning to ride a bike. Very challenging task if I remember correctly. I watched and listened as they all told each other exactly whose job it was to wash the dishes that day. We played an interesting game of Cranium. It'd been so long since I'd played that game, that I had to be reminded how to play. Everything from Charlie Chapman imitations to playdough ballerinas, sketches of scarecrows and how exactly was velcro invented? That was fun. I watched as Nathan learned how to turn my cell phone on and off. I listened to Derek play his music on the computer and then I sought those disappearing girls again. Where had they gone? Hearing giggles and laughter float down the stairs, I headed that way. Look at this room! There are clothes everywhere! I feel so at home! :) :) :)
They left for church and Dad came to pick up James and I. I thought something was awfully strange however, when he turned left out of their driveway. "Where we going?" Hudocks! Dad has lately formed a habit of going out for ice cream on Sunday afternoons. (You may remember last week?) I love water ice, but Daddy goes to Hudocks for their milkshakes. I was freezing on the way home. Yep, ice cream is cold. |
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posted by cori
6/13/2005 11:34:00 AM
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Saturday, June 11, 2005
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Wow! I missed a day. Hmm. It feels good to miss a day. No wonder people do it so much. Well, even though it feels great, I will try to restrain myself and blog today.
Yesterday was one of those days. It was 7:15 and we were already in the car and on the way to Williamstown. As we got in the car, Mom handed me her coffee to hold while she shifted into gear. I inhaled deeply. I love the smell of hot coffee on a chilly morning. You know that smell? It's the same one that's there on an early morning car trip. It's still cold in the car and your senses aren't quite clear, but you definitely feel the cold and smell the coffee. I don't think coffee ever smells so good.
Another thing I love is shopping with my mom. Just the two of us. It's kind of like a girl's night out, except that it's not night and it's a little less wild. But we do sometimes turn the music way up. :) I love to sit and watch the world go by as we discuss the different facets of life. Things like what my sister's gonna do when her baby girl learns to talk, or recount the events of a visit from the Davises. Williamstown is a forty-five minute drive and we get in a good deal of talking in that uninterupted space of time.
Sam's Club was our first priority. And since we belong to a specially elite group called "Business Members", we get in two hours before "regular" members, which is nice, because once the regulars come in, all the little kids are in the aisles and you have to dodge them with that enormous cart that Sam's thinks everyone needs to have. My favorite place in Sam's, well there are two actually, is the book section and the clothes section. I've noticed though that the clothes section seems to be lately dominated by those intended for men. So, I shopped in the baby section. I will not bore you all with descriptions of the cutest kind of clothes out there. Let's just say I spent half the trip looking at skorts for babies.
The Amish market, or rather, the Stolzfuz (sp?) farm market, which is more of a strip mall than farm market, was next on the list. I hadn't been there in a while, so I hadn't seen most of my market friends in about two months. (I spent a day helping out there once and got on a first name basis with most everyone.) Well, my friend Joann, who used to run a dollar store, now owns a pet shop. Nine little puppies in cages at the front of the store! They were so cute! I had to hold one. Joann gave me a miniature daschund that looks just like Tybee, my sister's dog. I believe in love at first site. My mom kept telling me that I want a Great Dane. I kept telling myself that $600 was not even realistic. But he sat there on my shoulder, wagging his tail. It was difficult to leave him there, but not having the money for him, and certainly not wanting to pay that much for him anyway, I gave him back to Joann and left the store. *sigh*
We headed the car homeward as we ate our hot and salty Amish store pretzels. I love the tangy smell of mustard. Usually, on normal pretzels, I'll indulge myself in the taste as well as the aroma, but these pretzels are really greasy, and mustard makes them taste gross. Another forty-five minute drive amid strawberry milkshakes and The Girlz singing quite softly this time, and we were home again. As we put away the groceries, we discovered a total lack of ziploc baggies. Despair! What shall we put the hamburger in? We'll have to get some more bags soon, because these twistie tie bags just aren't the same. So we planned a trip to Walmart. When the guys got home, (they were out working in Haddonfield), we went out to Bob Evans (yes! I didn't have to make dinner!) and then on to Walmart, where we promptly forgot about the ziploc baggies until we were already through the checkout line. The need for ziplocs suddenly became endurable, because after probably an hour in the store, no one wanted to go back in to get them.
Being Friday, we watched our weekly movie before going to bed. It was called Flight of the Pheonix, but I don't recommend it and I probably won't watch it again myself.
So anyway! (I always write that in Lauren-accent, though I know you can't read the sound.) Have a great day and happy blog surfing! |
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posted by cori
6/11/2005 08:05:00 AM
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I can't believe how great you make our day sound. :)
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It was great. We had something going on the whole day long. :)
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Thursday, June 09, 2005
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7:26pm
"Oh, they're here! What are they doing?"
"They're sitting in the car."
"Why?"
"I don't know. Do you think they saw us still eating dinner and they don't want to come in yet?"
"Nah. They'd come in anyway."
"What are they doing out there?"
"I'm gonna go see."
"Hey, guys! What're ya sitting in the car for?"
"What time is it?"
"7:30. Why?"
"Well, it said 7:21 in our car. And I told Derek that we weren't coming in until 7:30 cause that's when we were invited."
"Oh, well, if you want to be specific, it's says 7:26 on our clock in the kitchen. Hey! Get back here! You can come a little early. Nobody's going to care if you're four miutes off!"
Manda and Derek came over last night. They haven't been over for coffee and conversation for a good long while. It was great. It seems like, in the winter time, they come over to our house a lot, and in the summertime, I go over there more often. But it's nice to throw a monkeywrench in the works once in a while. Manda and I sat in the living room chitchatting for a bit before we roped everyone into a boardgame. Then of course, coffee was suggested and what is coffee without cookies to get all crumby in the bottom of your cup? (Yuk. I'm just kidding.) Of course, coffee's not much without flavored creamers, but we had to make do with plain milk. Hey, coffee's coffee. And at 8:30 at night, caffeine is caffeine whether it's amaretto flavored or not. The next time we looked at the clock, and I think it's broken somehow, it said 8:59. So, even though it was really only 8:54 by the clock in the car, they had to go home.
What good times we have! |
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posted by cori
6/09/2005 02:45:00 PM
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Wednesday, June 08, 2005
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This was not my idea!
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It amazes me sometimes just exactly what I will do upon request. I was asked to post this picture and ask you all what you think it is? (Where did he get that idea I wonder.)
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posted by cori
6/08/2005 09:13:00 AM
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oh yeah! i love these things-
heres my guess-
eggs, ham and cheese all rolled together.
am i right???
you will tell us the answer wont you???
d2
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same here: a thick egg/batter thing with ham or hash inside.
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yep, you guys are good. it's an omelet roll. the gross thing was that there was mustard inside. bleh!!!
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Tuesday, June 07, 2005
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Letting my imagination run away with me
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Clean sheets drying on the line. I love the feeling of wet cotton blowing against my face while I try to pin up a sheet. Shirts are fun too. Watching them dance in the breeze as though they could move without the help of their wearers. The light feeling of cotton sleeves reaching out to catch you and make you a prisoner in their grasp. The dresses flowing in the air. One could almost see a whole host of imaginary people milling about, just itching for a dance. All that lacks is the music for them to go swirling through the air, in step to the time. Can you imagine the music? What must it sound like? I imagine it to be light like a music box, with violins and one lone piccolo. I can almost hear the tune.
Don't you just love laundry day? |
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posted by cori
6/07/2005 09:00:00 AM
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The answer to your last question is no, I do not love laundry day, but I am grateful that I have clothes to wash. :)
Just wanted to comment since I saw how lonely your comment box has been these past several days. I will see you later . . . one more day till I'm off to California!
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Monday, June 06, 2005
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Let's just chat for a while, shall we?
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How warm it is today! It's the first day anyone thought to use the AC at my house. We all were full of ambition this morning, with plans to paint the porch, hang out the laundry and such like. The heat seemed to drain everyone's energy by noontime however, and only about half of the day's intended tasks were completed.
Slowly, but surely, my tea room begins to take shape. I'm gonna have to rope James into helping me. No, really I'm so glad to have a "big" brother who's so willing to help me make something out of nothing. He always says, "Well, first, let's see the nothing." :) James has offered to build me an arbor. All I have to do is sketch building plans so he knows what I want and what to buy. When I finally get this thing erect and in position, I'll show it to you. Via digital camera, of course. Unless anyone wants to come over for coffee hour and use it. It's in a nice shady spot.
James and I, having finished all we can of diagrams and visualizations, and not having means of transportation to get to Home Depot, (or Lowe's) have been tracking down outlaws on his newest ND game. This one's so cool. Cowboys, horseback riding, scorpions and hidden treasure. Dana, you're gonna love this one. Danielle, too! I don't know how many times I've killed myself already from getting too close to poisonous snakes, or how many times I've forgotten to cinch the saddle and fell off the horse. Lasso lessons were a real pain, but once you find the strategy behind the art, it's not that hard. James is still up there now, trying to break out of jail. (And they put these games in the educational section??)
It's such a lazy day. A good day to maybe lose myself in a good book. Problem is, I've already read all the ones we have here. But I suppose I could find a favorite and read it over again. After all, that's what books are for, are they not? |
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posted by cori
6/06/2005 02:59:00 PM
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Sundays are awful nice
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I am informed that most of my friends spend Sunday afternoons hidden beneath blankets or sprawled on the couch at home. However, I am not usually so inclined. For one thing, I can never sleep when the sun is shining so brightly. And for another, it's the only day when my friends are not so engaged as to be unable to spend an hour or two visiting.
Lauren came over for coffee hour at my house yesterday evening. The rest of my family deserted us for, as I later found out, the custard stand. (I wondered why everyone was so gung-ho over a Sunday drive.) Well, anyway, we girls had cookies and coffee. It was rather warm for such a hot beverage. We sat on the couch fanning ourselves after a while. Perhaps next time iced coffee would be a better plan. Hmm...
I showed Lauren the new family room and office. Only those with great abilities in the perception department can see it properly. I felt extremely honoured that someone so well-versed in gardening would ask to see the future sight of my tea room. But she did. She must have at least a bachelor's degree in imagination, because she seemed well able to envision it with me. I shall know where to turn for advice when I need it.
After her Davis people came later to take her to church, Mom decided we needed to play a game of Imaginiff. (At least, I think it was Mom.) That game is always good for a laugh. Being only four in number, we do not fill all the spaces with our own names. Of course, we are on the board, but there are four empty spaces, filled by poor innocents who aren't even around to defend their rights and opinions. And somehow, I seem to put across the idea that, if I could go anywhere on vacation, I would spend it at museums. Can someone tell me how that happened? I'd much rather loll about the deck of an expensive luxury liner, enjoying the smell of the salty air. |
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posted by cori
6/06/2005 02:17:00 PM
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Saturday, June 04, 2005
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Just watchin' the clouds go by
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On coming home from shopping today, Mom and I discovered a major hole dug in our driveway. A rather rectangular-shaped trench, actually. In fact, it came out about 12 feet from the back porch on either side and then met in the middle. Sort of like what you'd think the beginning of an addition on the house would look like. Hooray! Daddy and James broke ground while we were gone. But where are they now? It looks like the work has been abandoned. The truck is gone. Maybe James is in the house. I'll walk in and see. "J-A-M-E-S!" No answer. Louder this time. "J-A-M-E-S? YOU IN HERE?" Oh, there he is. Who's he on the phone with? Must be the Davises. He's giving out computer game tips.
Dad had gone to Home Depot, which BTW I have been told is "a man's store" while Lowe's is "a woman's store". I whole-heartedly agree with whoever it was that told me that. Mom and I sat upstairs on her bed wrapping up twenty or so little baby girl outfits we'd found during the morning's shopping expedition. I can hardly wait till Jess has her little girl. She told me their going to name her Victoria Grace. (Gracie for short.) I can't wait. I can't wait. Where was I?
Oh yes, the addition. Seeing that big hole in the ground was truly inspiring. I was moved with a desire to dig other holes in the ground. Unfortunately, my manpower was presently receiving another call on his hotline. So instead of actually digging, I designed instead. It's a lot easier on the muscles. Holding a pencil doesn't take near the strength that jumping up and down on a shovel requires. So now at least I have a sketch of my "tea room" as I have come to call the corner of our yard that's off to the side. I'm actually making progress. Really.
You're not convinced?
Don't worry. Neither am I. |
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posted by cori
6/04/2005 05:38:00 PM
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Breaking Ground is a momentous occasion. Congratulations on your progress.
I also agree with you about Home Depot and Lowes. Mrs. HOffman was the one who told me about that and it's nice to see that there are others who agree.
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Friday, June 03, 2005
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The rain was like a little mouse,
quiet, small, and gray.
It pattered all around the house
and then it went away.
It did not come, I understand,
indoors at all, until
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posted by cori
6/03/2005 10:03:00 AM
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Thursday, June 02, 2005
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My Life So Far
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A long day. Don’t ask me what I did. Well, I guess you could. After all, what’s a blog for if not to record the humdrum daily things we do? I sometimes wonder that all of my friends actually sit there at the other end of the net and read about this stuff. And yet there you are… still sitting there reading this blog.
So anyway, I did lots today only I have to think a minute before I remember all what it was. Let’s see. This morning I worked on my dad’s website. We’re having a little difficulty getting his shopping cart up and running. After searching the entire web, I finally found the “shopping cart for dummies” and now all I have to do is upload each and every product separately along with its price, shipping, description and so forth. I found that he’s got a lot of machines to sell. Hundreds anyway. So, that took a while. I didn’t finish it all.
Then I decided to have a little fun and played James’s newest ND mystery game. My soul! This is definitely the hardest one yet. It takes a long time, a lot of notepaper, and help from James. I find that I think too hard at just the wrong times. Then at other times I should be thinking harder and I’m not. It’s really weird. Called the Curse of Blackmoor Manor. About this nutty woman who thinks she’s been cursed. Ghosts, gargoyles, and gullible people.
After that James and I went to Mrs. Bell’s again for our lessons. I spent my time creating camouflage bracelets for some young friends of mine. Mrs. B gave me a new music piece to work on, Christophori’s Dream. So pretty! but so easy. I’m going to have to ask her for the more difficult version. The one I have doesn’t sound as full as it should.
So here I am. It’s evening already. Dad left for work at six (nights again). And of all the fun things, it’s “fend for yourself night”. Which reminds me… don’t I have pasta on the stove? What’s that smell? |
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posted by cori
6/02/2005 08:26:00 PM
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Disclaimer: Please do not think that I at all approve of gory computer games with gargoyles and goblins. The endings of these mystery games always clears up any doubts the player may have about the reality of these fabled beings. But let's not start a theological debate.
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Wednesday, June 01, 2005
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Beethoven vs. Groban
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Mrs. Bell is the coolest piano teacher ever! Lauren and I have both decided to be like her when we grow up. Tonight was James’s and my first recital with her. The first half of the players were outside on the lawn with their keyboards, guitars and violins. James went first. He played the keyboard set to harpsichord. It sounded really cool because his piece was really in the Baroque style . Then came Manda & Derek who did a duet. Derek was on the keyboard and Manda played the guitar. She did a smashing job at the end when she played solo. James played his violin again, a duet with Mrs. B. Excellent job.
The second half of the students played indoors on Mrs. B’s nice new piano. Everyone moved inside and squeezed into the living room. There were kids on the stairs, grandparents on the porch and people in the doorways. I went first and played my Moonlight Sonata. *heaves a great sigh* I so love that song. It’s not real hard to play because you can play it extra slow and set the pace yourself. Monique & Joseph Hoffman were after me. They played a really fun duet. Their timing was perfect. A mastered song. Derek played next, a gorgeous song by Josh Groban. I can’t remember what it was called, but he did a excellent job. Everyone, of course, made their little mistakes, but I think that we all covered them up really well, or at least moved on gracefully.
But it was after the recital that it got really fun. Pizza in the dining room, desserts on the porch and sodas on the lawn. What more could you ask for? Well, how about riding on golf carts and playing chicken in the middle of the field with another crazy driver that you’ve never met before? That’s what we did. Dana spied an empty cart and I drove her around the field once. We didn’t have many adventures the first time around because I wasn’t real sure that golf cart would fit through the paths. It was just the two of us that time. The next time I drove, Dana and I drove around a little and spied the abandoned golf cart of our arch enemies hidden in the bushes. Okay, so it was really only that the boys had left theirs’ for a little walk. We spotted a Monique and an Amanda coming towards us at top speed through the field, so we made a short detour to pick up the distressed damsels in our flashy car. I think I finally gave Manda an idea as to why exactly I haven’t gotten that driving license yet. The louder they yelled, the faster I went and the sharper I turned. Aha! There are the guys again! They all yelled even louder as Derek came closer.
And (good heavens!) can you imagine? We went around again! This time, after giving up my seat to Mom while Manda drove, I held on the back while Derek drove. About half way around, I’d had quite enough of his driving me into every bush along the side of the path, ducking under the lowest branch he could find, and switched to the front seat where James was. Juney kept telling me, “Don’t let me fall off!” The cart started going real slow after a while from the battery running low. (gee, I wonder how that could have happened) And since it was going at a safe pace, Derek let Juney drive for the last leg of the journey. |
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posted by cori
6/01/2005 09:43:00 PM
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Derek on the keyboard (playing with Manda) |
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posted by cori
6/01/2005 09:34:00 PM
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Finally! A picture of me that doesn't look that bad! Mybe 'cause it's blury...? Whatever.
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One thing leads to another...
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There's an old proverb that says "When mother sweeps the porch, the whole family works." No, actually I just made that up, but it seems to be true so often that it ought to be a proverb.
My mom started sweeping the porch yesterday as I sat blogging on the computer, when all of a sudden I found myself outside with mother, father and brother around me and my arms in soapy water, scrubbing the house. I never really noticed the dirt on the outside of houses. You don't, I guess, unless you have to wash it off. Buckets, rags, scrub brushes, water hoses, all kinds of paraphernalia with which to clean. We discovered a very leaky garden hose as we were working. There must be at least seven holes in it, some larger than others, which means it sprays water in all directions as you try to aim it at the house while avoiding the stream of cold water yourself. James scrubbed the porch railing so hard the paint started to come off. That meant a trip to Walmart for paint. And as long as we’re headed that way, I claimed a corner of the yard as my own to work on.
There’s a charming little nook in our front yard that I’ve requested to maintain. It’s surrounded on three sides with evergreen trees and is open to the yard in front. Big plans I have for this little spot. Maybe a little outdoor table and some chairs. I can’t decided between the rustic look of wooden furniture and the elegance of wrought iron. Hmm… I’ll have to make a decision later. I got hold of a few flowering shrubs to plant in the background. Hope it turns out the way I want it to. |
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posted by cori
6/01/2005 03:34:00 PM
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| The ShugaBowl |
| Sounds like some kind of sports thing, but in reality, the ShugaBowl is just a little hideaway for me, Sugarcube herself, to let loose my thoughts and occasional creativeness. |
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