Kids are so dumb it's cute

As if Christmas time isn't jam packed with enough things, Wyatt recently learned that December 6th is St. Nicholas Day. Never heard of it. Apparently you leave a shoe out with straw, hay, and hair inside. While you are sleeping, St. Nicholas comes in and removes these treasures and replaces them with cookies and candy.
When did I learn about St. Nicholas day? December 6th at 8pm. "Oh wait! Mom, do you have some straw and hay? And can we cut a little bit of your hair?" he asks. "WHAAAAT? No, lay down." 
"But it's St. Nicholas day! I forgot. I have to leave hay and hair in my shoe so I can get cookies and candy."
"Of course you do. Where did you hear about this?" I ask. Duh. School. "Ok, I'll take care of it, goodnight."
"Use my Nikes they smell less awful." Not really.
Jason's in Denver and I have neither cookies nor candy. Nor straw nor hay. Ice cream sandwiches from Schwann's? Garage freezer. SCORE! A whole box of the Schwanns chocolate chip cookies. Done. It's a  Christmas miracle and everyone wakes up happy. 

NOOOOO! Rather Sweet Bakery closed for remodeling???

Sometimes things happen for a reason. You don't know why they're happening at the time, but in hindsight, you see the larger picture and realize the universe is really taking care of you.

Our crisis began at 11am December 3rd in Fredericksburg, TX. We were there to celebrate my mom's 60th birthday and our stomachs were pulling us to our favorite bakery, Rather Sweet, for lunch. No, we didn't need to eat at 11, we just needed to see it, breathe it in, and fantasize of what was waiting for us at the end of our shopping excursion.

What waited for us on that little corner on Main St., however, was not just disappointment. It was rage. Fury. Despair. And finally, hopelessness. Deflated, we meandered from shop to shop. Menus in windows mocked us. They teased us. "Ha ha, you can't have what you really want! You pathetic fools."

A third of our party decided to try a burger joint, but as we were entering, something caught Larz's eye... "Free Yogurt." "Hang tight," he said, "it says they have sandwiches next door." We gave him heck, but he said we were going to try it (like it or not) so the boys could get some yogurt.

We ordered our sandwiches with no hopes of anything beyond biting into disgust. But, Oh snap. My veggi sandwich was yum. Add a little swim in the tomato bisque and it was heaven. Gray ordered potato soup of all things and it was seriously fantastic. Everyone agreed that their food exceeded excellent, and then it was time for yogurt. Imagine a yogurt bar like your Cultive or whatnot. Free Dec. 3rd for some reason AND 2 free toppings. I had the EuroTart with raspberries and strawberries and it was the best yogurt I've had, bar none. THANK YOU SWEET MARLEY'S for saving the day. From then on, we could shop happily. Turned around our whole day. BONUS: the back room has games etc. for kids and the courtyard has a play area. No wine served, but you bet it's my new fave.

2011 Christmas shoot

Jenn Culak did it again! She took some great pics of the boys for Christmas cards. Yes, it's the ONLY time I have their picture made and she does a nice job getting them to do whatever she wants! Maybe it's the promise of the cookies at the end?

PSYCHOpath test

To some degree, I'm sure we are all mad, but I'm not entirely certain that to some degree, we are all sane. I was (probably) one of the very few who enjoyed The Men Who Stare at Goats, and was equally intrigued with The Psychopath Test. Who doesn't love to read about psychotic criminals and what fuels their actions? And how do you spot a fake from a legit? There's a neat and tidy checklist to determine if one is or is not a psychopath. Who knew?

Ronson (via interviews of actual professionals on the subject) visits the past and present research and treatment options for sociopaths and psychopaths. You read, are appalled, do some research on google, see that the institutions, patients, doctors really do exist, rinse, and repeat. The interactions with the scientologists piqued my interest, but I really don't care to explore that any further than taking it for comic relief. Jump to your own conclusions if you will, but when he introduces the idea that most of the major blood-sucking corporations are run by psychopaths, I tend to disagree slightly. I'm just not sure there is anyone qualified to pronounce "sanity."

I'm intentionally being as namby-pamby as Ronson because this was just a gateway book to madness. What's next? Political Ponerology of course! For a good criminal psycho movie, watch Tom Hardy as Charlie Bronson in Bronson. WOW is it good.

Grayson is NOT a lesbian

The other night, I hear Jake upstairs calling Grayson a name, and I almost can't believe what I'm hearing. So, I go up the stairs to get a better listen, and sure enough, I hear, "Grayson, stop being such a lesbian!"

After I stop laughing, I ask Jake if he knows what the word means and he, of course, says, "Nope, not really." I tell him and his face gets completely red. He turns to G and says, "OK Grayson, you're not really a lesbian." Thanks, Jake, for clearing that up.

a lil wine review... and a lil recipe

one of jason's subcontractors gave us a wine basket for christmas and the Dry Comal Creek Sauvignon Blanc came with a jar of jalapenos. a few months ago i went on a limo wine tour in comfort and one of the vineyards (don't remember the name and it was terrible) also offered a wine and jalapeno pairing. it was neat. kinda quirky.  i think this is definitely something unique to texas because the 8 years we lived in CA, i'd never heard of such a thing :)  getting back on track, i cracked the wine tonight, but not the jalapenos. maybe i should have, because the wine is not impressing me. it does have some spiciness to it, which i'm not opposed to, but the overall flavor is just not quite right.

so i decided to try it with the peppers and there is a vast improvement. i had some homemade tomatillo "salsa" leftover from making enchiladas (recipe below) and made some nachos with queso fresco. it actually compliments the wine quite nicely!

12 tomatillos
8 plum tomatoes
2 jalapenos
2 serrano peppers
4 cloves garlic
1 bunch cilantro
1 onion
1 bay leaf
small pinch of fresh oregano
a dash of cumin, salt, and pepper

broil half the ingredients for about 20 minutes (minus the bay leaf and cilantro). boil the other half in about 3 cups of water (add the bay leaf, still no cilantro) until the oven ingredients are ready, or the tomatoes are soft and the tomatillos are pale. remove the bay leaf and add the broiled ingredients. remove from heat and add the cilantro. blend in batches and then re-heat on medium for about 15 minutes until it thickens slightly.

it's great for enchiladas or for dipping!

2011, so far

well, we ate our cabbage and black-eyed peas on new years, but apparently this year they did not do the trick. monday morning, back to school. the boys get up, get dressed. surprisingly smooth morning. we even have time to brush teeth, something we've been known to forego in order to get on the bus in time (only once or twice). so, i tell the boys to run upstairs and brush while i get backpacks set to go.

few seconds later, i hear crying. nothing unusual. but then i hear, "MOM, wyatt has blood coming out of his head." not the words you really want to hear. ever. so i run upstairs and, indeed, blood is coming out of wyatt's forehead. in fact, there is a small hole there, deep enough to see some really disgusting stuff.

quick trip to the hospital. a little tube of glue and $100 later (so far, thanks to STUPID blue cross insurance and their surprise bills that come two months later),  he's pretty much as good as new, just a little uglier.

so this morning, i say, "wyatt, do we dare brush our teeth before school today? if so, here are the rules: no running, pushing, tripping, falling, or trips to the hospital, OK?" he agrees, goes upstairs, returns and, with a very proud smile, says, "i did it mom." and puts up a hand to high five.