Fourth of July Weekend in Pictures

This Fourth of July we went for a simple celebration: eat until you almost explode, then light some sparklers for the kids and watch them from the porch. I have to say, I like it.

Dinner on Sunday night:

Some grass-fed ribeyes:

Husband's secret grilled broccoli - I'm about to get my hand slapped here for peeking under the foil before it went on the grill.

Tomato and feta salad - this made a delicious lunch on toasted sourdough bread today, too:

And, for dessert, what else?

Tell me you don't want a bite?

And then tonight:

Husband's brined and grill-roasted chicken:

Pea salad:

Kelly's peaches with balsamic and blue cheese:

And her smoked salmon with corn pancakes - and if you're not checking her food blog, The Meaning of Pie, on a regular basis, you might could have a screw loose:

And again, for dessert, who can resist a repeat performance?

Combine all that with some sparklers and firecrackers, and we couldn't be happier.



Lighting the last of the firecrackers:

Where did they go, Dad?

Happy Fourth, y'all, and may God Bless America.

Countdown to Torment

We're counting down to my mother's 1/2 yearly visit right now; she arrives tomorrow. Usually when she descends upon us I stop blogging alltogether, but this time I have a plan: I'm going to keep a running list of my favorite things she says and post them at opportune moments. What will be opportune about the moments, you ask? Well, they will be when I can't stand it anymore and am about to pop with all the things I want to say to her but won't. And there will be moments on this visits, I assure you. There always are, but this time we're introducing her Baptist self to our Orthodox church; I can't wait until she walks into the sanctuary and sees Christ enthroned on the Theotokos's lap - the most dominant fresco in the church. That will be one of many, many things she will feel the need to comment on. Even in everyday conversation, she throws out some whoppers, so the entertainment level here should be quite high, I assure you.

Just so you know the quality of phrases we're dealing with, some of the all-time greatest things my mother has said to me are:

When I told her that after five years of courtship, Husband and I finally were planning a wedding: "Is there a history of demon possession in his family?"

After announcing I was pregnant with One: "[SOB] I'd always prayed God would close your womb!"

On the subject of parenting after my parent's divorce: "I'm so glad God allowed me to raise you as if I'd been widowed. It worked out so much easier for me that way." Yeah Mom: Dad and I feel the same way.

So welcome to more free therapy for me! Feel free to check out and come back next week if this sort of thing doesn't interest you. She leaves on Sunday afternoon, you know. But if you stick around, be prepared to have some fun - at her and my expense, of course.

Here's hoping I make it to the other side of another thrilling visit ...

Our New Community

We had the International Festival at the boys' school yesterday - the first one we've attended. The boys and I had a great time, although Husband was unfortunately trapped at work. This is the big school party of the fall, as the student body represents more than 40 birth countries. I was impressed with too many things to go into detail about all of them; what really hit me the most was the remarkable sense of comfortable community that surrounded the entire event. I haven't been able to spend much time on campus outside of afternoon pick-up, but I was at ease the entire time, and never had that sense of "everyone else knows everyone here and I don't know anyone." (Yes, some part of me hasn't left junior high, I am aware of that.)

I have a stack of photos to share with you, and some random word images as well - images of ...

two soccer games and one football game, all of which ran on their own for three hours with no adult supervision, sometimes combining into two games, expanding and contracting as kids came and went ...

herds of middle (and even high) schoolers, back at their alma mater and, instead of acting cool, chasing each other and acting much like they did as little kids ...

teachers everywhere, not just from our school but from our feeder middle and high schools, volunteering for everything in sight ...

parents tending tables and tables and tables, all of which groaned under the weight of gorgeous food from more than 30 countries, with the crowning glory being the actual, real-life sushi chef at the Japan table ...

three hours of children performing on the outdoor stage - music and dance and even taekwondo ....

two USA tables instead of one - one very red, white and blue and Texas-y, the other pure Louisiana. Because even though the commercials say that Texas is a whole other country, we all know that Louisiana is, too ...

And the pictures:


















And as you can see in the pictures, the weather was more than perfect - we couldn't have asked for a better time.

Beach Family Fundraiser

This Saturday from 1-4pm there will be a fundraiser for the Beach family at the Kemah Boardwalk. The events will take place near the fountains and stage; a donation of $10 is requested for entry.

You can read more about the Beach family at the link above or here. They have 13 children, most of them adopted and many with special needs. Their home was close to destroyed in Ike and they need help with medical expenses.

If you'd like more information about the event please contact Kelly Williams at kellyjw18@verizon.net. If you can't make it but would like to make a donation anyway, you can mail it to the Beach Family Medical Fund, P.O. Box 272, Kemah, Texas 77565.

“We have our days,” Melissa Beach said. “But the rewards are awesome.”

Photo compliments of Cvent Destination Guide.

Maps, Maps and More Than Maps

Sharon at Rocks in My Dryer has been linking to various online geography games, but I've found the granddaddy of them all:

http://www.sheppardsoftware.com/Geography.htm

You can find absolutely every geography fact, quiz, you name it, here. There's also animal games, periodic table quizzes, and a food chain game. I could spend all day on this site (ed.: this is for your kids, not you. me: but I like geography games!).

Enjoy, whatever your age.

Schlitterbahn and the Inking of America

We went to Schlitterbahn yesterday - all 4 of us - and WOW, what a fantastic trip! One rode everything in sight, no matter how high in the air; he and his dad took on several rides that Two wanted to sit out. Otherwise, we went on everything together; Two was the bravest 5 year old I've ever seen. He rode everything that wasn't a tunnel, and was especially fond of the "body chute" style rides, where you lie down with your arms crossed over your chest and fly to the bottom. He also rode the long tube rides alone, in his own black "big boy" tube (he hated the covered little kid tube with the bottom we tried to make him ride). I can't say enough good about the park itself - it was clean, covered with lifeguards and beautiful (especially the original part of the park). At one point we were walking along the Comal and saw a doe and fawn drinking on the opposite bank.

The only unfortunate part of a visit to a water park is that it uncovers the general unloveliness of ones fellow countrymen. I am no delight to the eyes in a bathing suit, but my modest "mom suit" at least covers all those parts I'm least fond of and tucks them in as much as possible. I wish the same could be said of the countless teenage girls in way too little bikini for their girth (or cup size). I also wish there were fewer tattoo parlors in the world. For a while I thought it was just a generational thing, but after seeing enough people my age and older sporting what looked like fairly new ink, I guess not. All in all, not a pretty sight.

But overall it was an amazing day. Seeing Husband wet, sunburned and tired with a big smile on his face was the best early birthday present I could ask for. He smiled all day, his brow unfurrowed, and he basically looked 10 years younger. Needless to say, the Blackberry stayed locked in the car. Oh, and good news to come in the near future about said Blackberry - I have to keep a secret for a while longer, but soon I'll get to spill my (happy) guts.

Hope your weekend is as good as ours is so far!