Camping

A few photos from our camping adventure this past weekend.  Sure seems like a lot of work for just one night, but the kids do enjoy it.  Micah keeps talking about the pine cones and the marshmallows and the FIRE!

Halloween Projects

Yarn spiders and green slime.  Made for a fun weekend playdate with friends!

Micah is 2!

Just a handful of photos I snapped of the birthday boy today.  He's so grown up all of a sudden.  Some of his recent favorite sayings:

• It was an ACCIDENT.
• Just a second, Mom.
• Leave me alone.  It doesn't matter, Mom.  Doesn't matter.
• Awesome.
• I'm not happy/sweaty/smart/loud/two [whatever -- just fill in the blank].  I'm a good boy!  (apparently good boy on the one hand and everything else on the other are mutually exclusive)

Hannah & Olivia on the 1st Day of School

Olivia's not at all sure about what's coming.  Can't you see it in her face?

A Poem by Olivia, Age 5

Olivia made up this poem today, and I quite like it.  She's a funny little girl.  Clever and crazy.

Shiver me timbers,

Let the wind blow.

We'll know much more,

After we grow.

June 2010 Family Reunion

This post is out of order time-wise, but here is a link to some photos from our recent family reunion in Pine, Arizona.

Here's one of my favorites (from our water balloon war):

Fourth of July Weekend in FLAGstaff (and Sedona)

Father's Day 2010

Gift boxes the girls and I made (idea from Paper Crave).

Father's Day photo.

Home Again

Illustration 32 of Divine Comedy:Inferno by Paul Gustave Doré (1832-1883)

It's good to be home, but getting here sure was a nightmare.  What should have been a 14-hour flight took 24 1/2 hours, thanks to US Airways canceling our flight at the last minute in order to combine it with a later flight.  Hannah and Olivia handled the marathon day like champs, but Micah was beside himself.  I was in tears by the time we got to Phoenix.  I hadn't slept more than 30 minutes during the whole 24 hours, and was bone tired from the ordeal of trying to control Micah while warding off the fiery darts of my fellow passengers who either (a) have never had children of their own; or (b) cannot remember what it's like to have young children.  Either way, I was in Dante's Inferno, 10th Circle (if one existed).  The 9th Circle involved incapsulation in ice up to progressively greater depths.  Well this was worse.    

One choice 20-something, male passenger who sat in the seat in front of me on the flight from Barcelona to Philadelphia had the gall to recline his seat into my lap, and then buck the seat back or whip his head around anytime Micah made a noise or even touched his seat.  About 1 hour into the 8 hour flight, he swung around with a grimace, spitting out:  "Do you mind?!  I can't sleep!"  I was already in quite the mood, and (although normally quite conciliatory), I spat back:  "At least you GET to sleep."  I then reminded Micah throughout the rest of the flight not to touch the seat, using words Micah likes and gets these days:  "the man will get mad" "mean man."  Okay, I didn't say it very loudly, but I did say it.

And when an irate male flight attendant (who almost certainly is not married and doesn't have children) on the flight from Philadelphia to Phoenix came to my seat demanding with thinly-veiled disdain, "is there anything we can do to 'help' him stop screaming (like shoot him with a tranquilizer dart)," I couldn't control myself and retorted:  "Sir, we've been traveling for over 20 hours today, due to US Airways delay and cancellation of our flights.  My child is beside himself and wants to get off the plane.  I don't think you can accommodate that request."  He grunted and stomped away.  At the end of the flight (Micah did fall asleep after his fit and slept for the last 3 hours of that 4 1/2 hour flight leg), I apologized to that flight attendant as I exited the plane, and he didn't respond.  Not a word.    

It's home sweet home now, thank goodness.  We got home at about 11 p.m. on Thursday night, and I slept from midnight until 6 a.m.  I forced myself to stay up yesterday until 10 p.m. despite exhaustion, hoping that would cure the jet lag.  But I woke up at 1:42 a.m. and have not been able to go back to sleep.  I stayed in bed with my eyes forced shut until 2:40 a.m. and then gave up and came downstairs to at least be productive.  I'll pay for it later today no doubt.

On Monday we head a couple of hours north to a family reunion.  It should be fun to see family members again!

Hop on Hop Off = Flat Out Exhaustion

It's 8:40 a.m. here in Barcelona and the family is still sleeping, trying to recover from yesterday's adventure.  We got an early start and walked the half mile or so from our apartment down Las Ramblas to Placa de Catalunya to catch the Hop on Hop Off Bus that would take us to some of the Antoni Gaudi sites I've been  so eager to see.

(Although the primary language here is Catalan, pretty much everyone speaks Spanish as well, and I can't tell you how helpful it is to travel with a native speaker.  Because we're relying on public transportation (and our own feet), we have to ask for directions repeatedly anytime we try to go anywhere. Having three young children in tow, including a stroller, makes it all the more challenging.)

It was a great, but utterly exhausting, day.  We saw many Gaudi sites, including Casa Batlo, Sagrada Familia, La Pedrada, and Park Guell.  Antoni Gaudi was an architect from Catalonia, Spain who lived from 1852 to 1926 and designed many cool buildings in Barcelona.  He rejected the Gothic style of the time with its straight lines and symmetry and instead embraced a new modern style with swirls and curving lines.  He was a recycler with flair, who used broken old cups, wine bottles and saucers for mosaic detail in his works.  He was a devout Catholic and spent decades of his life working on Sagrada Familia.  In fact, although famous and esteemed, he spent the last years of his life living in the crypt of the Sagrada Familia, devoting all of his time and effort to the project.  (I kind of admire that sort of crazy devotion.)  He died on June 10, 1926 in a pauper's hospital.  A few days earlier, he left the church on foot and was hit by a streetcar.  Because he was dressed in shabby clothing, he was unrecognized.  Today, his amazing Sagrada Familia is considered something of an 8th wonder of the world, and over a million people come to visit it each year.  Both Danilo and I agree that it's one of the most incredible things we have ever seen.  You should go see it with your own eyes some day if you can.

In addition to the Gaudi sites, we also ventured to a labyrinth park in the north of Barcelona.  This was quite an experience, because we had to take city buses that didn't exactly drop us off anywhere close to our intended destination.  We got lost and had to ask for help from the locals (repeatedly), but we made the best of it.  We stopped to appreciate the freeway as we crossed over a pedestrian bridge (and then back over when we realized we had spent 20 minutes walking in the wrong direction).  We admired the graffiti art when we found ourselves in a tunnel under the freeway.  And we thoroughly enjoyed the cypress tree maze once we found it.  The park is called Jardins del Laberint d'Horta.  If you ever go, I'll give you directions!

We didn't make it back to our apartment until almost 9 p.m. and didn't have the children bathed and fed until about 10:30 p.m.  We all have achy feet, but it was worth it!  You can see some photos from the journey here.  

Sometimes a Wander Beats a Destination

We hadn't even made it out onto the street from our apartment before Olivia (5) complained "I'm tired."  And so it went.  We walked and walked, and my kids complained.  And to add to the experience, it started to rain.  Hoping it would pass, we took refuge in a 3 story McDonald's on Las Ramblas.  The rain continued and intensified.  We relented to the street salesman pushing their cheap umbrellas, and we slogged on toward our destination -- the secret garden beach in Eixample I had read about online.

Consulting our maps numerous times and ignoring the twittering of complaining children, we finally reached it.  By this time, we knew there would be no swimming.  It was still raining and soggy.  But we had a plan, and we stuck to it.  When we finally arrived at Eixample "Beach," we were underwhelmed to say the least.  The splash pool was dirty, there were no other children (or people) to be seen, and the rain continued to fall.  They ran around anyway while Danilo and I studied the map again, looking for another destination so we wouldn't have to call the day a failure.

In the end, we decided to walk towards an old area of Barcelona called Barri Gotic.  The rain stopped somewhere along the way, and we had a great time.  We had gelato, chased pigeons in Placa de Catalunya, and then thoroughly enjoyed the Catedral de Barcelona and the old stone architecture of the Barri Gotic.

We made our way back to our apartment after miles of walking and made pasta and arepas for dinner (we're a long way from Venezuela, but Danilo found the Venezuelan arepa flour just down the street from where we're staying).  We tried to watch TV in our apartment, but the only thing we could find in English was a channel with music videos from the 1980s -- so we danced to "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go" by Wham (difficult to believe that video isn't a joke).  After that got old, we watched some soccer (football).  It turned out to be a great day after all.  

Now it's bedtime, and I'm hoping and praying that the good people of Barcelona need to get some sleep for work tomorrow so that I can get some sleep tonight!  Tomorrow, we're taking a hop on hop off bus tour of the city and hope to see some great Gaudi sights.

Click here to see some photos from the day.

Adventures in Barcelona

Our apartment in Barcelona is nice, but the neighborhood is a bit wild for my liking.  We're right off Las Ramblas, and the streets were alive with loud partying well into the early morning hours.  Our kids must have been exhausted, because they tell me they didn't hear any noise.  I couldn't sleep, and Danilo took up all the space on the very small bed in the master bedroom (it's only a full, I think), so I ended up on the couch.

After the nappers finally got up yesterday afternoon, we headed out to explore Las Ramblas, which is a huge pedestrian street with all sorts of people watching opportunities.  There are many guys dressed in costumes with painted bodies who stand still like statues and then move when you're not expecting it.  As you walk, you find bird and animal stalls, flowers, souvenirs, tapas, and all sorts of other interesting things.

On the way back to our apartment, we stopped at an amazing fresh food market called La Boqueria.  It's huge and packed full of stalls brimming with bright fruits and vegetables, nuts, cheeses and almost anything else you could want.  As we worked our way through the stalls, we found ourselves in the fish and meat area.  Micah started complaining "nose!  nose!"  It took me a minute to realize that he was complaining about the smell!  We made a quick exit, because he was right.

Last night, we feasted on fresh strawberries, coconut, apricots, tomatoes, and corn.  It was fabulous.

We're getting a very late start today, but the plan is to go visit a small children's beach I read about.  We already experienced some topless beaches in Italy and Corsica, so I figure this children's beach should be safe.  (The topless bathers brought to mind the old Smiths lyrics -- "you without clothes, I cannot keep a straight face.  Me without clothes, a nation turns its back and gags."  It's just not the kind of thing you want to see.  Complete lack of judgment on the part of the bathers.)  

Back in Barcelona

We finished our Mediterranean cruise today.  Two continents, five countries, ten days.  Although I'm sad that portion of the trip is over (it was amazing), I must say that I'm glad not to have access to any more buffets.  I think I gained at least 5 pounds, but I'm sure this week in Barcelona without unlimited food at our disposal will remedy that.

Danilo and all three kids are now napping.  I have wifi access, and the world is good.  Alas, attempts to upload photos from our cruise have been unsuccessful as of yet.  Perhaps the file sizes are too large for this internet connection to handle?

The pictures are so much better than any of my words, but for now, here are some thoughts about some of the places we visited.

MALTA

Limestone city

Wonderful, colorful doors

Amazingly blue water

Bright fishing boats

Aggressive horse buggy tour, tour aborted

TUNIS, TUNISIA

Mosaics

Fragrance, essence, spice

The Medina

Hand-knotted rugs

The detail and color of the doors

Aggressive bartering, firm hold on my wrist

NAPLES, ITALY

Breathtaking Amalfi coast (despite Micah's vomiting episode on tour bus)

Intricately detailed wooden boxes

Perched houses

Friendly people

Lost blanket, lost stroller, found both, but angry tour bus

Lunch overlooking the sea

Pompei preserved bodies (why are my children so macabre?)

Hannah & Olivia jumping and leaping all over the 2000 year old ruins

LA SPEZIA & CINQUE TERRE, ITALY

Five beautiful villages, perched on the cliffs (I want to hike the connecting trails someday!)

Amazing stone churches built straight out of the rock

Colorful, tall houses -- laundry blowing from the windows like flags

Fresh cheese, bread, vegetables, fruit, soap (what more do I need?)

Pizza and gelato twice in one day

ROME, ITALY

Whirlwind 12-hour tour with 3 young kids who failed to appreciate what their eyes were beholding

Saint Peter's, the Vatican, the Coloseum, Trevi Fountain, ruins ruins everywhere

Juxtaposition of ancient and modern

Construction thwarted by ruins unearthed anytime you dig

Gladiators with cigarettes and cell phones

Puppet show at the park (Pucinella)

CORSICA

Napolean

Beautiful green coast, scented air

Medieval strongholds

Craggy rocks

Perfect weather

French with attitude -- no English

Delicious pizza with capers and olives (and more gelatto)

FRENCH RIVIERA (NICE, MONACO, MONTE CARLO, EZE)

Clean, beautiful, elite to excess

Arizona plants (bougainvillea, oleander, succulents, cacti, palm trees) -- but they look so much more amazing against the backdrop of the sea

Fancy cars in Monte Carlo

Changing of the guard at the palace in Monaco

Heaven on the mountain in Eze -- shops, spices, perfume, soap, exotic cliff top garden (can I stay?)

I'll post photos as soon as I can manage it.

Post script:  While I can't seem to upload photos to blogger, I did succeed in uploading some photos to Facebook, so you can go take a look there.  Click here to see some of the photos.

Corsica

Well, last night I retreated to Mexico because Corsica wasn't within reach.  I tackled a taste of Corsica tonight, with some vegetarian alterations, of course.  The two recipes we tried are Eggplant a la Sartenaise and Fiadone (a lemon cheese pie of sorts).  I didn't take any time shortcuts on the Eggplant dish, and it was a project.  The pie was easy-peasy, but I kept thinking it should have been smoother, like a cheesecake (this one is made with ricotta).

Here's the evidence.  Recipes (before my veg alterations) are linked.

Eggplant a la Sartenaise

Fiadone

Maltese Cuisine {for the time-strapped vegetarian}

Let me start off by admitting that this is probably a disgrace, but the truth is I don't have time to follow elaborate recipe instructions.  As my 21-month-old loves to say:  "Come on people!"  As I mentioned in a prior post, here at our house we are working our way through some of the cuisine from the countries we'll visit on our European vacation.  

Tonight's meal was inspired (okay, somewhat loosely) by the Island of Malta.  I went with baked macaroni in a pastry case, called Timpana.  Other options all seemed to involve octopus, rabbit and other such "no way" items.  Here's how the Timpana turned out:

Timpana

Here's the original recipe:

Ingredients

1 lb. macaroni

1 lb mixed ground beef and pork

1/2 lb. chicken livers

1 lb. flakey pastry

2 large onions chopped

3 garlic cloves crushed

2 tbsp. tomato paste

4 tbsp. grated parmesan cheese

4 eggs lightly beaten

1/2 pound ricotta

salt, pepper

Prepare sauce; saute onion and garlic in margarine.  Add ground meat.  Salt and pepper to taste.  Stir well and cook for about 15 minutes.  Add the tomato paste and cup of beef stock.  Simmer for an hour.  {Yeah, right.  Like I have that kind of simmering time available.}

Fry livers in margarine for 5 minutes.  {Even if I were not vegetarian, there's zero chance I'd cook with livers.}

Boil macaroni until barely tender.  Rinse under cold water.  Mix the cooked meat and tomato mixture into the macaroni.  Add ricotta, beaten eggs, and grated cheese.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Stir well.  

Cover bottom and sides of baking dish with pastry.  Put in a layer of macaroni mixture.  Arrange chicken livers over the macaroni and cover with another layer of macaroni.  Cover with pastry.  

Bake in 375 degree oven for an hour or until the top is brown.  {Not a chance.}  Let stand for half an hour before cutting into squares. 

Here's what I did to the recipe (no offense to Malta):

Ingredients

1 package cheeseburger Hamburger Helper

1 package Morningstar Farms meal starter crumbles

1/2 cup ricotta cheese

1/4 cup parmesan cheese, grated

2 eggs, beaten

salt, pepper

2 boxes puff pastry cups (6 per box)

Make Hamburger Helper according to directions, but use meal starter crumbles (if you'd rather skip the beef and pork).  Meanwhile, cook the puff pastry cups according to directions.  When the Hamburger Helper is ready, mix in the ricotta, parmesan, eggs, and seasonings.  When the puff pastry is done cooking, fill them right away with the Hamburger Helper mixture and serve.  Now wasn't that easier?  

Like I said, it's probably a disgrace, but the reality is that I work at an office until mid-afternoon, then take care of my kids after picking them up from school and for the rest of the day.  I have an hour (tops) to make dinner.  Then I have three children to bathe and get to sleep, followed by 3-4 hours of more lawyer work.  

And you know what, my Imitation Hamburger Helper Timpana was pretty tasty.  Even the kids ate it up.  

Tomorrow, we conquer the cuisine of Corsica.  

Mother's Day photos

Looking back through my photo files, I couldn't find Mother's Day pictures for every year, but here are some.  I probably need a new hairstyle, don't you think?

2003

2005 (Olivia sporting an old man hairdo.)

2006

2007

2009 (Hannah doesn't like this "toothless" photo)

And here are the attempts for Mother's Day 2010.  That boy won't hold still!

Happy Mother's Day!

Trip Countdown

In case I haven't gushed to you about it yet, we're taking a 10-day Disney cruise in Europe at the end of May, and we're very excited about it.  I've been excited about it for months and felt like I was the only one who was. But now the anticipation is spreading.  I found my 5-year-old Olivia packing her carry on bag this afternoon, and I had to show her the calendar to help her understand what "3 more weeks means."  In the meantime, we have been studying library books and reading what we can find on the internet so that we will be ready to learn and really absorb the experience.

We start in Barcelona, and then head to a bunch of other cool places, including Malta, Tunisia, Italy, France, Corsica, etc.

Each night at dinner, I have been sharing an interesting fact or two about the places we will visit.  For example, did you know that Spain is the largest producer of cork? And that cork is harvested from a type of oak tree without harming the tree?  Pretty cool.  Did you know that mandrake root grows on the island of Corsica?  Did you know that Napoleon was born on the island of Corsica?

I've even been trying my hand at cooking some food from the places we'll visit.  I started with Barcelona.   Here's the "tortilla" (more like an omelet) and bean stew I made.  We'll see what's next.

Easter Photo (okay, week after Easter)

What a challenge to get Micah to hold still.  A smile was too much to ask.  We were feeding him fruit snacks like fishy treats thrown to a sea lion at Sea World.

Fun with Eggs

Here is the Easter handiwork of Hannah and Olivia (with some help from Russian egg coverings from my parents).

And me resting after the egg activity.  Hannah playing with my camera.

Mini Me (Actually, Mini Danilo)

Isn't he handsome?  Both of them, I mean!

Be Brave Like a Kid

Today, on my route home after picking Hannah and Olivia up from school, I decided we should stop, park the car and hike up one of the foothills to admire the blanket of green that has descended on these small mountains near where we live.  My girls at first thought they hadn't heard me right.  "We're going to hike up the foothill?  Right now?"  "Yes, right now," I said.  "You can stay in the car if you want, but I'm going up there to get a look."

When we have a particularly wet January/February like we have had this year, we get a treat.  The normally brown, rocky hills turn green.  (Hannah initially thought it was moss.)  Then the wildflowers come.  It doesn't last long, but it's beautiful.  My kids hear me exclaim with joy as we crest the hill, and the green of the foothills and blue of the sky is all we can see ahead of us.  So this time, I decided to stop.  Never mind that I was in a suit and heels.

We parked at the post office and then scrambled up the nearest group of hills (I've lived near real mountains, and I really can't refer to these as mountains).  The girls were beside themselves with joy that we were actually doing such a thing.  "Let's be quick," I instructed.  "All the people driving down below us are probably wondering what the crazy lady in a suit is doing."  And this was Hannah's response:  "Mom, be brave like a kid!"  "We should do this more often!" Olivia added.  So, (at least for a good 15 minutes), I was brave like a kid, and we enjoyed the view.

You Are What You Eat

Micah's new word (phrase) for the week is "cheese ball."  He asks for them by name.  Here he is in a moment of glory.  Don't worry, I only let him eat a handful so I could get the photo.

Addendum

Lawyers!  My children are clearly violating these rules.

Valentine's Day 2010

Despite my better judgment, I couldn't resist taking on a project.  Here is the finished work.  (Neither idea is my own.  The matchbox valentine idea comes from here, and the candy bar valentine idea comes from here.)

Release

Three years, lots of sweat and tears.  

One less ball to juggle, but leaving is a struggle.

I was released today from my calling as primary president.  I've run the gamut of emotions, but overall I think change is good.  It will probably take some time for me to feel some "release," but I'm starting to get used to the idea.   Lots of important lessons learned in the past three years, but here are a few thoughts:

1.  Everything we need to learn about the gospel, we learn in Primary.

I am a child of God

I know my Father lives

All over the world at the end of day, Heavenly Father's children kneel down and pray

Live like His Son

Try to be like him -- try, try, try

Jesus said love everyone

Did Jesus really live again after He had died?  Oh yes!  And so shall I!

It shouldn't be hard to think about Jesus, not hard at all

I feel my Savior's love in all the world around me

I'm trying to be like Jesus, I'm following in His ways

I love to see the temple

I want my life to be as clean as earth right after rain

Listen to the still small voice -- listen, listen

Search, ponder and pray

Follow the prophet -- he knows the way

I will go, I will do, the thing the Lord commands

Love one another

Kindness begins with me

Keep the commandments -- in this there is safety and peace

Dare to do right!  Dare to be true!

My life is a gift, my life has a plan

I hope they call me on a mission

Families can be together forever

When we're helping we're happy

Give, oh give

The wise man build his house upon the rock

2.  Children have a tremendous power for good.  They can (and do) take the spirit they feel in Primary into their own homes and make their families stronger.  

3.  We -- the grownups -- have much to learn from the children.  As the scriptures say, we all need to become like little children.  

It's been a good three years!