a collection of memories that are near and dear to us.

Thursday, September 27, 2007

happy birthday "little" brother

Sibling relationships - and 80 percent of Americans have at least one - outlast marriages, survive the death of parents, resurface after quarrels that would sink any friendship. They flourish in a thousand incarnations of closeness and distance, warmth, loyalty and distrust.


i know that i am a week late but certainly no less sincere in my wish for your happiness this year.

i am incredibly proud of you and all that you have accomplished little brother!

i love you~

Wednesday, September 26, 2007

she's BACK


and boy have we missed her! finally, after nearly a year my mom is making her come back. for the past year shes been battling extreme exhaustion and a slew of other unpleasant symptoms but last week "she" YES she was finally able to pin point the problem and receive proper treatment for her diagnosis; super-ventricular-tachycardia.
so look out world - mika is back!
AMEN~

Tuesday, September 25, 2007

Farro - ever heard of it?


if not i strongly suggest you hunt this tasty little morsel down the next time you are at the store.
pete and i were a bit perplexed when we first saw it on the menu. it was paired with butter beans and fresh sweet corn...it was intriguing so we inquired and ended up ordering it as a side dish saturday night while dining at FIG (a fabulous organic, sustainable-based restaurant in charleston, that we also highly recommend) and OH were we ever pleased.
farro can also be referred to as emmer wheat.
**Grano Farro has a long and glorious history: it is the original grain from which all others derive, and fed the Mediterranean and Near Eastern populations for thousands of years; somewhat more recently it was the standard ration of the Roman Legions that expanded throughout the Western World. Ground into a paste and cooked, it was also the primary ingredient in plus, the polenta eaten for centuries by the Roman poor. Important as it was, however, it was difficult to work and produced low yields. In the centuries following the fall of the Empire, higher-yielding grains were developed and farro's cultivation dwindled: By the turn of the century in Italy there were a few hundreds of acres of fields scattered over the regions of Lazio, Umbria, the Marches and Tuscany.**

happiest of days ella-boo ~

that is our wish to you today and every day!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY
to our beautiful
our charismatic
our kind
our silly
our smart
our compassionate
our all-around amazing little ELLA-BOO.
enjoy your special day~

Wednesday, September 19, 2007

my latest purchase from iTunes

fall is upon us here in asheville and i find it to be incredibly refreshing. so much so that i have had an itch for some new music all morning.

so - as i sit here in my office, working with cold toes and a warm cup of day old coffee i knew i needed to do a little surfing in the iTunes store for some appropriate new tunes. somehitng that would only heighten the enthusium for this day i am feeling.
it didn't take me long to settle on my selection. i sort of knew what direction i was heading and after the fact i must say that i am feeling very satisfied.
i find the beat in "i walk the line" to be completely infectious. tapping my toes hardly seem to be enough. it make me want to slap my knee and bob my head...
in my opinion the only song this album was missing is "ring of fire." but no worries, i was able to download it from the classic cash album. whew---
oh how i love joaquine and reece.
OK - back to work. very busy. must stay focused!

Tuesday, September 18, 2007

a -- "mazing" fun on the farm


we spent sunday afternoon "down on the farm" with the gast family. it was an afternoon of good family fun! fresh apple cider, apple butter...apples by the bushel and a CORN MAZE! who knew that pig farmers in the eighteen hundreds were called drovers....fortunately for all of us kate, owen and alex were aware of this tid-bit of trivia and many other fun little facts that we were asked along the way.

note to self: keep small children away from clara bell the mule. she likes to munch little fingers. god bless sweet little miles. clara bell got hold of his sweet little hand and had no intention of letting go. pete was quick on his feet and pounded on old clara bell! all of his little digits remained in tact and are reportedly working just fine.





























































































Sunday, September 16, 2007

heaven!


trey with his tools and his best friend,
life is good!

potato-head FUN


i'm sorry - i just had to ~

ally and mike - living in california


the nason clan - living in maine


i admit it - i stole both of these photos from two of the blogs i frequent daily. i just love them. every time i see this picture of the nason clan all i can do it siggggggh. i think it captures their family beautifully. and the picture of ally and mike make me smile a very cheeky smile. they are just adorable. now, if we could just convince john to start a blog of his own - HINT, HINT!

baby andrew ~


we can't wait to meet you!
february will soon be here and so will
BABY ANDREW CUMMINGS
i was delighted to have had the opportunity to spend the better part of saturday afternoon with mel. this was first time i've seen her since being pregnant that she has started to show. as to be expected she looks amazing & even more importantly she is finally starting to feel human again.

Friday, September 14, 2007

BE GONE duck!




trey quickly grew tired of kate's old rain coat. as cute and i thought he was in it, he wanted it off! he wanted to get wet! mission accomplished.
sitter was an hour late this morning so trey and i had a bit more time then i had originally anticipated. as they say, things happen for a reason!

there is a duck lose around here ~

after sending kate off to school this morning, i had an hour at home alone with trey before i had to get to work. often i forget how remarkably different it is having one child at home versus two.
when trey noticed the rain outside he was curious. he wanted to go outside to "catch it" and so we did. i am eternally grateful for the two amazing children we have been blessed with. however this morning i was given a beautiful opportunity to share a precious moment with trey. i will savor that moment all day long and remind myself of its splendor as he throws on of his ridiculous tantrums.


homework can be fun ~







made play dough for one of kate's centers at school. big fun! even bigger mess to clean up!
sort of trippy watching everything congeal right before your eyes. thought we had othing more then a pan of flour soup - and low and behold... PLAY DOUGH!
RECIPE:
1 cup plain flour
1 cup water
1/2 cup salt
2 tsp. cream of tartar
1 tbsp. cooking oil
food coloring - optional
peppermint flavoring - optional

and furthermore

and more importantly KATE is getting better. i was able to get her back in to see our pediatrician on wednesday evening. he concurred with me. her poison ivy was not getting any better and was dangerously close to her eye so he dosed her up good. 24 hours later the scratching has stopped and she is sleeping soundly!
and if you were still wondering about pete and the phone lines. peter was fine. just busy and figured one of the kids had the phone off the hook.
ironically it was pete that shorted out the phones lines without even knowing it. late monday night after i went to bed he added another computer to our network here at home and shorted all of the lines out when he connected the ether net port directly into the phone jack. how about that. the bellsouth man was our hero too!
all is well again!

a moment of pause and reflect



ENOUGH SUSPENSE. i'll cut right to the chase.
after dropping kate off at school, trey and i were heading home to continue our search. my mom suggested i call the "dog catcher" as she put it. so before heading back out i called both animal control and the humane society and filed a missing pet report with both agencies. "bobbie" at the humane society wished us luck and said he'd call if he heard anything.
we were at the front door putting on shoes WHEN THE PHONE RANG. the person on the phone was out of breath. as he spoke excitement oozed! it was bobbie and he was calling to tell me that he had just fielded a call from a woman in the fairview area that found and old chocolate lab last night, he said the dogs name was vigger and that the woman said he had tried calling the number on the tag several times but the line just rang busy. he gave me her number and was so completely genuine when he told me he just loves it when he can help an owner find their pet. we hung up and i called the number. IT WAS DIGGER! she gave me directions to her house and trey and i set off to bring the brown turd home!
i think the picutre of trey in his car seat says it all. i snapped that picture just after i threw digger in the back end. that rascal was found more then 6 miles from home. and if it hadn't been for the nameless SAINT that lives at 475 rose hill road, who knows where dig might have ended up. i thanked her profusely for her thoughtfulness and her perseverance. she is out hero and we will give great thanks for her!

Wednesday, September 12, 2007

our crazy day!

it never fails; pete leaves and things fall apart around here. or so it seems...

#1 hmmm?
yesterday about 4pm i noticed digger was gone. thought nothing of it at the time as he regularly wonders freely about our neighborhood.

#2 HMMMMMM?
no calls all day from pete...who calls very regularly while traveling. not even a call to tell the kids good night! sort of concerned about him but sort of irritated.

#3 huh?
i receive an email from heather stating she had tried to call me several times during the day and the phone just rang busy. figured one of the kids had been playing with the phones and went to check them all. was anticipating an easy remedy.

#4 eeekkkkk!
all the phones were resting comfortably in their cradles. no dial tone. call bellsouth only to find that our service did not cover servicing problems. now that is a new one. was told they'd have someone out by 6PM the next day to fix. having JUST watched the zodiac killer i am starting to freak myself out. thinking that someone had CUT my phone lines and stole my dog with terrible intentions of coming after ME next. trying desperately to throw that thought to the back of my brain and stay focused...


#5 uuugghh:
6PM, dinner is over and still no digger. the kids and i spend an hour outside calling for him. followed by 2o minutes in the car, driving around; calling, looking and leaving a trail of dog treats behind (kate's idea). as we come inside i check the phone int he kitchen...still no dial tone. growing even more concerned now. if someone had found digger and was trying to call us - they would not be able to get through. da-n phones!

#4 uugghh - errrrrrr:
the kids are exhausted and crabby. i quickly bath them, cover kate from head to toe in poison ivy potion, read books, and have them both down by 730. 7:45PM kate comes downstairs crying because of the itching. we re-apply. 930PM kates come down stairs crying-because of the itching, we re-apply. 11PM kate comes downstairs crying - because of the itching, we re-apply. 1230AM kate comes downstairs crying hysterically --she is delirious by this time! i want to cry but i don't. i shut down my computer and carry her up to bed. she falls asleep before i lay her in MY bed (note: another mistake).

#6 sniffle-sniffle:
i go back downstairs to call for digger one last time before turning in. i know that i should brush my teeth and wash my face but i don't. i am too tired. i check all the doors. making sure that the locks are engaged and once again i start thinking those terrible thoughts. that stupid move! why did i watch that horrible movie? i a feeling almost certain now that someone TOOK Digger, CUT our phone lines and is just waiting for the house to fall dark so they can make their move. i intentionally leave a couple of lights on downstairs and i crawl in bed with kate. still is the clothes i wore all day - nasty breath and filthy face. i take a deep breath and hope that sleep will follow. i begin to cry.

#7 scrath-scratch-scratch:
it is 2am and kate is scratching herself. it wakes me. i am concerned that she is going to hurt herself and the poison ivy will continue to spread. i wake her and ask her to stop scratching. she requests more cream. i apply...

#8 SCRATH-SCRATH-SCRATH:
i hear it again. it wakes me completely. her nails scratching at her thighs. i remember we have an ace bandage and i go downstairs to try and find it. it is found. i take a quick glace out the front door - hoping to see digger but i don't. i head back upstairs and wrap up the leg that she keeps scratching. she needs water - i go downstairs and get her water. she is asleep before i get back upstairs. i lay down - i am tired - exhausted. i think i hear someone int he house...i begin to sweat. i am panicing...i realize it is just the air conditioning. i begin to think about pete. i wonder what he is doing. i wonder if he is sleeping well. i wonder where digger is. i wish i could go out and look for him - afraid that he is laying in the forest hurt - wanting to come home but he can't. i am sad! very sad at the thought of not seeing him again. thinking about him as a puppy and how terrible he was. i don't remember anything else - i must have fallen asleep...
#9 SCRAAATTCH - SCRAAATTCH -SCRAAATCH:
kate is scratching. it wakes me again. 4AM -- i realize that i have to get up in one hour. i raise my voice at her - i tell her she HAS TO STOP scratching - like she get's it.??!?!? i feel awful! like a terrible person. she is miserable and i lose my patience with her. i apply more itch cream and get a cold cloth for her forehead. i tell her how sorry i am and kiss her all over, forgetting for a moment that she is covered in posin ivy and itch relief cream. i softly rub her head until she falls back to sleep. i glance over at the alarm clock. it is 445 and i feel sick at the thought of having to get up shortly. i fall asleep feeling certain digger will be home when the sun comes up.
#10 BUZZZZZZZZZZZ:
it is 530am. my alarm goes off. i reach for it quickly. i DON'T want it to wake kate. i hear trey squawking. i try and sneak out of bed. kate sits up. is it time to get up? i assure her that it isn't and that she needs to go back to sleep. i tip-toe downstairs. trey is calling me by name - at the top of his lungs. i race to the front door SURE that digger will be there. he is not. i feel nauseous. i am exhausted. i start my coffee and hear kate coming downstairs. "i itch" she says. trey is screaming and can hear us downstairs. i ask her to be patient as she is scratching herself feverishly and I run upstairs to grab trey. he asks for daddy. i remind him that daddy is on a trip. he begins to cry. kate is crying. i want to cry...but i can't - i am out of gas!

Tuesday, September 11, 2007

check out those britches

it is almost comical what this child will do for a single jelly-belly. we are a long from being "there" but we are making strides toward being free of diapers FOREVER. boy that will be a beautiful day!

isn't he cute!

a solid weekend

although we were dealing with a ferocious case of poison ivy, the roe fam enjoyed a "solid" weekend. we kicked things off by having our first "official friends over for dinner" since moving to ahseville. a small something we've missed sorely since relocating. it was nothing fancy but the kids had a ball and the adults relished the companionship as well.

following our soiree, sleep was hard to come by. kate was up every hour or so throughout the night and caladryhl was applied and re-applied. fortunately the sun rose and we all regained our composure. after a quick breakfast we grabbed our basket and went downtown to the farmers tailgate market. squash, cucumbers, heirloom tomatoes, fresh basil, organic breakfast sausage, green peppers, fresh flowers and moss---just a few of the treasures we brought home.

we stopped in CVS to pick up some more poison ivy remedies and i decided i'd ask the staff pharmacist if he had any ideas for us. he took one look at kate and told me i needed to call the pediatrician. boy am i glad i did. pete ran her over while trey napped and they prescribed a topical steroid cream that helped tremendously. unfortunately the benedryhl that she was also given knocked her out and we sadly missed owen's birthday celebration. (sorry sweet owen)

upon waking sunday peter delighted all of us with a huge breakfast feast. from there is was out to the yard to spread more mulch and plant-plant-plant. i went a little crazy and ordered a ton of hosta and iris from ebay. good deal - just a bad timing. i had no idea it would take so long to get 100 plants in the ground. kate had fun making plant markers while i dug and dug and dug...

and then we did something we haven't been doing enough of. we SAT and enjoyed the splendor of our home. ahhhhh!