The snow we got was pretty dry and powdery, but by using some buckets from the sandbox we were able to pack it well enough to make a few pint-sized snowmen.
Wednesday, January 16, 2013
Sunday, January 13, 2013
Let it Snow... Please...
Okay, there probably aren't many adults who say that, but we promised the boys Winter Wonderland when we were pitching this whole, "Move Away From All Your Family and Friends" idea, and so far, they haven't been impressed.
We DID have a White Christmas. The first big snowstorm of the year swooped in 4 days before, and it left enough on the ground to count as we celebrated. This past week, though, it warmed up into the mid-50s and rained a lot, and they've been quite disgruntled.
Mother Nature must have heard their grumbling, because she threw a bit our way last night. All of my guys are out in the yard experimenting with Snow Sculpture right now:
We DID have a White Christmas. The first big snowstorm of the year swooped in 4 days before, and it left enough on the ground to count as we celebrated. This past week, though, it warmed up into the mid-50s and rained a lot, and they've been quite disgruntled.
Mother Nature must have heard their grumbling, because she threw a bit our way last night. All of my guys are out in the yard experimenting with Snow Sculpture right now:
Yes, Rick is wearing a Marvin the Martian hat. I know you're jealous.
Well, I finally registered the kids for music lessons through NIU. Seth will study piano, and Gabriel will study violin. On Friday, we took the Family Heirloom (my great-uncle's violin that hung on Grandma's wall for 50 years -- thanks again, Aunt Becky!) to a violin shop over in Sugar Grove, and they're going to refurbish it for use. New pegs, new strings, new bridge and tailpiece, smooth out the fretboard (there was a fancy term for it that eludes me at the moment), the works.
It turns out, though, that it's too big for Gabriel at this time. So we have also rented a half-sized violin from them for his use -- it was surprisingly affordable. The restoration is going to be a bit steeper, but it'll be worth it. And hey, with two working violins in the house, maybe Gabriel can teach me a tune.
We're learning the states and capitals to the tune of "Turkey in the Straw" right now, so my ultimate goal is to have Gabriel play it on fiddle, while I back up on dulcimer chords and Seth sings. It will be epic. Seth wants to be a YouTube celebrity.
Sunday, January 6, 2013
New Year's Resolutions
- No more wheat. Not even "just a little."
- No more sugar. I mean it.
- At least 20 minutes of exercise per day.
- Knit/crochet more.
- Practice the dulcimer more.
- Attend church weekly.
- Update blog every weekend so that extended family doesn't kill me.*
Happy 2013, everyone!
*I have no idea where to start. The backlog in my brain has reached critical overload. Ask me a question, any question!
Thursday, July 5, 2012
"But It's a Dry Heat..."
Rick had the 4th of July off from work, so we decided to take the kids to Chicago to see some sights and check out the Field Museum. We would never have planned a day outdoors in July in FL, that's just crazy talk. But we're in the North, now! It's not that hot! The humidity is lower! All of the seasons are now ours to enjoy!
Holy Flaming Heatwave, Batman!
Yeah, we dragged the kids all over downtown Chicago in record high temperatures. 102 without the heat index, tied for July 4, 1911. Perhaps it wasn't the most stellar parenting, but by golly, they got a good dose of culture and exercise and Quality Family Time, whether they liked it or not. ;) And we took pictures. You can click here to see all of them, but I'll give you some highlights.
Here are the boys outside of Ogilvie Transportation Center, their individual personalities firmly on display. We're able to take the train in from Elburn, and it's just under 2.5 hours total travel time from our house.
By the time we'd walked to Millennium Park, we were really feeling the heat, so we headed straight to the Crown Fountain for relief.
After a quick spritz, we went to ooh and ahh over the Cloud Gate sculpture.
We wandered around the park area for about 2 hours, checking out the amphitheater and the gardens, then we collapsed on a shaded bench, where a friendly passer-by offered to take our picture.
We had some trouble locating the subway station that would take us to the museum, but we stumbled into this nice little skyscraper/fountain/garden niche where the kids and I took a load off while Rick scouted to find it.
Eventually, we made it! Here they are, inside the lovely air-conditioned Field Museum, newly-purchased Annual Family Membership stickers fresh off the press, standing in front of a T-Rex named Sue.
We explored the Genghis Khan exhibit, which Gabriel really enjoyed. He's old enough now to read the plaques and look and ponder things, rather than just rushing through. There were enough Mongolian sabres and whistling arrowheads and trebuchets and giant triple crossbows for launching 6-foot flaming spears to fuel his battle fantasies for weeks. He also appreciates the philosophy and culture, though -- we learned that the Mongolians were the first people to use a bow on stringed instruments, which was relevant to his interests as a future fiddler.
Seth's choice was Underground Adventures, where you "shrink" to 1/100th of your size to explore soil science from a bug's-eye point of view. I was really impressed with this exhibit -- soil science is not something I've ruminated much upon, and there's a lot to it. This made it very accessible and thought-provoking on many different levels.
We had to rush through the Egyptian exhibit, because the museum closes at 5, but I hope we can go back when we have more time. We just scratched the surface of what The Field has to offer. Two hours of air-conditioned intellectual stimulation was a nice start, though.
Back out into the heat we trudged, and we took a moment to appreciate the lake-front view with its adjacent skyline.
Then we began our quest to experience authentic Chicago-style deep dish pizza. On the way, we saw that Columbus Drive had been blocked off by police barricades. "Perhaps they're preparing for a 4th of July parade, how nice!" we thought. Then there was a synchronized double-take:
Yyyeah. It was so hot, the pavement buckled. Luckily, no one got hurt. That's just nuts!
Our pizza quest ended at Lou Malnati's which turned out to be absolutely worth the walk. The interior was cool and dim, the friendly waitress kept the ice water flowing, and the food was fantastic (and very reasonably priced). Gabriel declared that the pizza was "indescribably delicious."
By the time we got out of Lou's, the sun had begun to set, and it wasn't quite so miserable outside. We took a leisurely walk toward theSears Willis Tower, enjoying statues and gardens and architecture along the way. We finally got there, said, "yep, that's pretty tall," then dragged ourselves back to the train station. It was dark when we pulled out, and the kids got to see a few stray fireworks out the window to complete the 4th of July experience.
We're planning another trip in 2 weeks for Seth's birthday. We'll be spending the bulk of that excursion inside the Museum of Science and Industry.
I trust that it's air-conditioned.
Holy Flaming Heatwave, Batman!
Yeah, we dragged the kids all over downtown Chicago in record high temperatures. 102 without the heat index, tied for July 4, 1911. Perhaps it wasn't the most stellar parenting, but by golly, they got a good dose of culture and exercise and Quality Family Time, whether they liked it or not. ;) And we took pictures. You can click here to see all of them, but I'll give you some highlights.
Here are the boys outside of Ogilvie Transportation Center, their individual personalities firmly on display. We're able to take the train in from Elburn, and it's just under 2.5 hours total travel time from our house.
 |
| Behold the big shiny buildings! |
By the time we'd walked to Millennium Park, we were really feeling the heat, so we headed straight to the Crown Fountain for relief.
After a quick spritz, we went to ooh and ahh over the Cloud Gate sculpture.
We wandered around the park area for about 2 hours, checking out the amphitheater and the gardens, then we collapsed on a shaded bench, where a friendly passer-by offered to take our picture.
 |
| We're melting... meelllllllltiiiiiinnnng! |
We had some trouble locating the subway station that would take us to the museum, but we stumbled into this nice little skyscraper/fountain/garden niche where the kids and I took a load off while Rick scouted to find it.
Eventually, we made it! Here they are, inside the lovely air-conditioned Field Museum, newly-purchased Annual Family Membership stickers fresh off the press, standing in front of a T-Rex named Sue.
We explored the Genghis Khan exhibit, which Gabriel really enjoyed. He's old enough now to read the plaques and look and ponder things, rather than just rushing through. There were enough Mongolian sabres and whistling arrowheads and trebuchets and giant triple crossbows for launching 6-foot flaming spears to fuel his battle fantasies for weeks. He also appreciates the philosophy and culture, though -- we learned that the Mongolians were the first people to use a bow on stringed instruments, which was relevant to his interests as a future fiddler.
Seth's choice was Underground Adventures, where you "shrink" to 1/100th of your size to explore soil science from a bug's-eye point of view. I was really impressed with this exhibit -- soil science is not something I've ruminated much upon, and there's a lot to it. This made it very accessible and thought-provoking on many different levels.
We had to rush through the Egyptian exhibit, because the museum closes at 5, but I hope we can go back when we have more time. We just scratched the surface of what The Field has to offer. Two hours of air-conditioned intellectual stimulation was a nice start, though.
Back out into the heat we trudged, and we took a moment to appreciate the lake-front view with its adjacent skyline.
Then we began our quest to experience authentic Chicago-style deep dish pizza. On the way, we saw that Columbus Drive had been blocked off by police barricades. "Perhaps they're preparing for a 4th of July parade, how nice!" we thought. Then there was a synchronized double-take:
 |
| putting the "wave" back in "heat wave" |
Our pizza quest ended at Lou Malnati's which turned out to be absolutely worth the walk. The interior was cool and dim, the friendly waitress kept the ice water flowing, and the food was fantastic (and very reasonably priced). Gabriel declared that the pizza was "indescribably delicious."
 |
| A Quest Fulfilled |
By the time we got out of Lou's, the sun had begun to set, and it wasn't quite so miserable outside. We took a leisurely walk toward the
We're planning another trip in 2 weeks for Seth's birthday. We'll be spending the bulk of that excursion inside the Museum of Science and Industry.
I trust that it's air-conditioned.
Sunday, July 1, 2012
Friday, June 29, 2012
"So, what have you been doing up there?"
Well, not a heck of a lot just yet. Mostly unpacking boxes.
We got some kites for the boys, which was an exciting new experience. Gainesville is in a natural declivity, so it gets almost no wind, ever. Previous kite-flying attempts were sad disappointments. We're up near The Windy City now, though, and we've taken to the field behind the elementary school (just 2 blocks from our home) a couple of times with spectacular results. Rick took some pictures on his phone, so maybe he'll share them here (hi, honey!).
Rick and I had been planning for months to attend a Glen Hansard concert, and last weekend it occurred to me that I'd love something to wear that wasn't faded, stained, torn, and plain Worn Out like 99% of my wardrobe. So I snuck over to DeKalb, intending to get JUST ONE outfit (okay, maybe two)... but I didn't reckon on the very flattering attentions of the staff at Maurices (darn and bless you, Darcy-the-salesclerk), and I came out with about nine. I felt guilty about spending so much money, but Rick reminded me that Being Able to Replace Things That Are Worn Out is the whole reason we made this drastic move, after all, so I'm almost over it. And my closet is beautiful.
So, Tuesday was the concert, and it was amazing. Best date we've had in ages. Hansard's music (see also: The Frames, Marketa Irglova, Swell Season) has a lot of meaning for us, having discovered it at a stressful time in our lives when we needed something to bond over. Getting to see him live in Chicago felt kind of like a benediction for our new life up here. We are well begun. :)
The kids' first experience with an Unknown Babysitter couldn't have gone better. The receptionist at Rick's job had volunteered (she's a sweetheart), and the next morning Gabriel asked me if we had any more concerts to attend, because he wanted her to come play again. Apparently they jumped on the trampoline and shot hoops and made Play-Doh sculptures and caught fireflies. Good times!
We got some kites for the boys, which was an exciting new experience. Gainesville is in a natural declivity, so it gets almost no wind, ever. Previous kite-flying attempts were sad disappointments. We're up near The Windy City now, though, and we've taken to the field behind the elementary school (just 2 blocks from our home) a couple of times with spectacular results. Rick took some pictures on his phone, so maybe he'll share them here (hi, honey!).
Rick and I had been planning for months to attend a Glen Hansard concert, and last weekend it occurred to me that I'd love something to wear that wasn't faded, stained, torn, and plain Worn Out like 99% of my wardrobe. So I snuck over to DeKalb, intending to get JUST ONE outfit (okay, maybe two)... but I didn't reckon on the very flattering attentions of the staff at Maurices (darn and bless you, Darcy-the-salesclerk), and I came out with about nine. I felt guilty about spending so much money, but Rick reminded me that Being Able to Replace Things That Are Worn Out is the whole reason we made this drastic move, after all, so I'm almost over it. And my closet is beautiful.
So, Tuesday was the concert, and it was amazing. Best date we've had in ages. Hansard's music (see also: The Frames, Marketa Irglova, Swell Season) has a lot of meaning for us, having discovered it at a stressful time in our lives when we needed something to bond over. Getting to see him live in Chicago felt kind of like a benediction for our new life up here. We are well begun. :)
 |
| Outside the Vic Theatre |
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