FORTY-SEVEN

 

A silly selfie with Papa

2025 week forty-seven

Beethoven bust in the blackberries

The garage update is almost complete.

Field trip to Medieval Times

Theo tried to get sick the day before, luckily he made the 24 hour cutoff window so he could attend. 

V looking grown up trying on grown up looking dresses for the Christmas Pageant. 

Quotes:

V- "Those kids only have a lame electricity-powered scooter. We have a dog powered scooter!" The kids were having Kip pull them on their scooters up and down the street. 

T- "You know how Stas is a possum with a monocle and a top hat?"

V-"...Uh...No...?"

T- "Ok, well anyway..."rambles on incoherently for another five straight minutes.

T, dramatically -"I'm going to write a book called 'I Survived 10am Mass.'" For the uninitiated, the I Survived series is a book series about kids surviving things like: the Holocaust, The San Francisco Fire, The Titanic sinking, etc. I thought you might need some perspective on his level of drama.

FORTY-SIX

It was cold for about one day. I got to wear my new coat that I found at the thrift store. It was good quality wool but absolutely massive. Luckily I had watched a video last summer about tailoring jackets. I took each shoulder in about 2 inches and the three back seams a further inch or so. It's still over sized but it looks intentional and not like I stole a very tall mans coat. 

2025 week forty-six

I found a number of photos like this on my phone. I'm so pleased when I find evidence of their friendships. 

We went camping (or rather tried to) this weekend. V was so intrigued by the tiny little spiders she just had to take photos of them. We ended up not sleeping there because after a day of hiking with his den, Theo ended up with a migraine and threw up right after dinner. So we packed up the tent in the dark and headed home. 

Breakfast with Zorro. 

Early in the summer I planted a sweet potato that started to sprout in my cupboard. Once the leaves had wilted I dug it all up and got about 6 pounds of sweet potatoes. It was very exciting. 

A cat in a satchel. 

Matt and the kids built a magical dragon gingerbread house. 

And Theo loves to ruin every photo. 

 

Quotes:

I got a book from the library called "Good Manners, for Nice People, Who Sometimes Say F*ck, Theo came in my room and picked it up.

T- "Why does it have a bad word on it."

L- "It's just the title of the book."

T- "Have you ever said the F word?"

L- "Yes."

T- "When?"

L- "A few times."

T- "Did you just come into your room and whisper it into your pillow?"

L -"Uhm. Have you ever done that?"

T- "NEVER! ...But what could make you made enough to even say it? Was it Papa? Was it me?"

L- "Never." (no comment) 

T- "Here comes... Vrrrrrrooooooon Ciiiiiiiiiiina! Bah BAH na-bam!" 

FORTY-FIVE

We had an impromptu family date this week.  

2025 week forty-five

When we want really good Italian-style pizza (and fried artichokes) we like to go to Cane Rosso in downtown Carrollton. 

V was being weird with a stick on fingernail she found. It was her cousins and was accidentally left in our house in her sweater pocket. (ALSO, V got her hair cut really short.)

She and Theo kept finding them and sending sassy photos to taunt their cousin. 

Saturday was a day of chores and errands for me, but the weather was glorious so, despite their complaints, I forced them to stay outside for hours. They made mud pies.

Quotes:

T- "What is a tankard."

Me- "It's a type of cup. This is a horn tankard. "points to a cow horn tankard on our shelf. 

T- "This is a gas tankard." points to his rear. 

V- "Ew Theo don't fart!"

Me- "Theo, hold it in! What would you do if you were sitting by a girl you liked?"

T- "I'd fart. She'd be so impressed by my defense mechanism."

Me- "Ok, well what would you do if Mr. Misko (the principal) was standing behind you?"

T- "I'd fart. He'd be so impressed by my defenses that he would promote me to valor force officer to protect the school." 

V's friend W- "Do I have a little mustache?"

V- "Yes."

W- "I know someone else who has a little mustache."

V- "Who?"

W- "My mom."

Later after telling me this story. 

Me- "Pray for him."

V- "He'll need it."

Saying her prayers,

V- "Please bless W to endure the wrath of his mother."

T- "So is this buffalo meat?" after we ordered buffalo mac and cheese

Me- "No." 

T- "Dang it." 

T- "I feel kind of sick."

Matt- "Eat this cracker."

T- "Ugh. What is the expiration date? It tastes like old sheets and leaves. Anyway, that is NOT how a cracker is supposed to taste."

T-"I can gurgle without water." proceeds to gurgle scream at the table.

V- "That's Theo's mating call."

FORTY-FOUR

Theo and V took some photos of each other randomly.

2025 week forty-four

Very cool.

Matt has moved on to drywall updates in the house. If he stops moving/renovating he dies. 

Theo had a sick day this week. He sat by the window with his cat reading Harry Potter all day. 

Trunk or treat with the cousins. 

Theo has started The Babushkas at school. Some of the boys wear their sweaters on their heads and run away from the Babushka hunters (other kids with sticks) at recess. 

We painted and carved pumpkins with Grandpa this week. This was my pumpkin. 

Matt's, mine, Theos, and Veronica's pumpkins. 

Happy Halloween. V is a turkey, T just wanted to wear his gillie suit, and Matt and I are Tim and Wilson from Home Improvement. 

All the kids in the trick-or-treat group.

I went on a hunt for juniper berries for a duck recipe I wanted to try. After a few places I thought they would be, I found a tree absolutely covered with berries by the baseball fields. 

For Dia de los Muertos I made some Pan de Muerto. In case it didn't turn out, I also picked one up from a local Mexican bakery. 

Veronica painted some sugar skull faces. 

Theo and his cousin Claire sorted through the turkey feathers after we processed her today.

Since we decided to smoke the turkey, Matt had to go get more chickens because if he's going to start up the smoker, then he's going to fill up the smoker. 

Theo and V have been playing this game of their own invention all week. 

You can follow this link to watch about 1 minute of Theo doing a reading of Arabian Nights in his class.

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/SpVK1vrGhUI

FORTY-THREE

Some leftover State Fair photos

2025 week forty-three

My friend (and work twin) Deborah and I went to the opera to see Carmen. It was really fun! 

Matt and I went to see Oddisea in Deep Ellum on Monday. We played a round of pool with another couple there which was fun. 

The new warp is up and running. 

One day this week I accidentally cosplayed quite convincingly as Evie O'Connell from The Mummy. 

Theo's spooky cake for scouts. V made the cake and frosting all by herself and Theo and I helped with the decorating. It was meant to be the Demogorgon face but ended up looking more like an evil starfish. 

Friday night was the Fall Fun Fair at school. About 10 minutes before the end, V came up to me with a double bloody nose. She was pretty nonchalant about it. I finished cleaning up while she went off to find her friends and chop wood... Well once we were home about an hour later, she looked at me and I could see that her nose was completely crooked! So we went off to urgent care for some scans. Sure enough her nose is broken. Apparently she was in the bounce house obstacle course, fell, completely lost her shorts (like they fell off and landed to the side of her!), as she was putting them back on, her friend plowed through the area and knocked her in the nose. V sat down from the pain and then crawled out with a double bloody nose while sobbing. I can only imagine she looked a sight clawing her way out with a streaming bloody face. When she was telling me this story she was very cheerful about the adventure it all was. 

Sunday morning barmbrack breakfast. Theo got the coin (riches), V got the matchstick (contention), Matt got the ring (love) , and I got the bean (poverty). 

Quotes:

"These stupid animals!" What you say when you're trying to eat your fresh homemade Italian strudel but the turkey, chickens, and dog also want some. Very relatable situation. 

"When I saw the sauerkraut I saw it said cabbage and water. At first I thought it said garbage water. But really, what's the difference?" -Theo

Me- "STOP DOING PYTHAGOREAN THEOREM AND GET READY FOR SOFTBALL!"

Doctor- "What is your pain level on a scale of 0-10."

V- "Uhm...6...7..."

V- "My pants came off in the bounce house, I popped off two brackets and broke my nose! It's been a wild night!"