Tending and Training in the Deep Weird

Andy was getting out the ingredients for scones, muttering to himself as he did so:

Andy: cornmeal, cornmeal, where’s the corn meal.  Ok. Lowfat buttermilk…hmmmm…cultured lowfat buttermilk.  At least it’s not hillbilly buttermilk…

Mom: WHAT?

Andy: It says “cultured” so it’s not “hillbilly”.

After a bowl of oatmeal this morning…

Ellie:  Mom, may I have an apple?

Mom: Yes.

Ellie: This one? (picks one up and turns it around in her hands)

Mom: Sure.

Ellie: Is it poisoned?

Mom: Uhhh…no.

Ellie: OK.  Just checkin’.

Sean came downstairs in shorts, t-shirt, and sneakers.

Sean: I think I’ll just go to church like this.

Ellie: NO!!!!

Sean: Why not?

Ellie: Because all the church students will laugh at you! Like this: ARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR HAR HAR HAR!!!!!  Hard!!!

After I read If You Give a Mouse a Cookie to Ellie…

Katie: I wouldn’t give a mouse a cookie.  I’d stomp him.

Sean and I were born in the early 70’s.  Among other things, that means that we had reached prime imaginative years when the Star Wars saga hit.  A New Hope was the first movie Sean and I saw as children. (Both of us saw it at drive ins, too…isn’t that interesting?)  I remember pestering my father for weeks after he took me to The Empire Strikes Back.  “Is Darth Vader REALLY Luke’s Dad?”  I was convinced I would implode from suspense during the years before the next movie came out. I played Star Wars with my neighborhood friends.  I asked for and received the Death Star playset for Christmas one year.  I twisted my hair into cinnamon buns.

Before the prequels were released, the restored originals came out again to the movie theaters, and you better believe that Sean and I were there…probably at the first showing.

It’s been fun and funny to discover others who were more than a little fanatic about that chapter of their lives.  There’s always lots to share, but usually the sharing is limited to stories.  Not so with one friend.  He got a Star Wars windfall and wanted to share it with us.

These are from store displays and movie theater displays back in the day.  I don’t know if Sean or the boys are more excited…I think they’re destined to be “wallpaper” for the boys’ room. There is much happiness in boyland.

Making a tent in the backyard. Sewious business.

Every visit with the Andersons generates at least one great Lizzy & Katie picture.  These young ladies are just four months apart and always manage to find things to do together to keep busy.  This year it was string games.

Ellie met her first fire ant.  It was not a happy meeting.

Eating ice cream with Mr. Jon is MUCH happier.

My friend Rachel and I have started a cooperative blog here.  Gotta love the internet.

Today we’re hoping to make some serious headway on the quilt of Knox’s clothes.  Here are a few “in progress” pictures:

Jonathan volunteered to make pancakes.  Rachel, my health-conscious friend, makes her pancakes in a unique style. 

Ellie spiked a fever but still knows what to do when the camera comes out.

Control center: the best seat in the house.

Jack and Ellie are playing together very nicely.  So are their friends.  No kidnappings have taken place.

Yes, that’s Boggle that they are playing.  Such intelligent, precocious children…

The children camp out to watch…a little kid show.  Who knew that “Between the Lions” was so fascinating to all ages?  And just in case you’d like to know, Ellie refers to it as “Between the Bears”.

We went garage saling Saturday.  That is, we tried to go garage saling.  There were not many to be found.  During one of the two stops, however, it seemed we had struck gold.  Andy spotted a Bionicle container.  Please don’t ask me what a Bionicle is.  If you have or know a boy who owns these, you understand.  If you don’t, it’s almost impossible for me to explain more than “collectible lego-like action figure scary monster dude.”  Sorry, that’s really the best I can do.

So Andy was thrilled, because in his words, it was ANTIQUE.  Note to self: Ellie turned “antique” 2 years ago.

He asked the lady running the sale if all the parts were in the box.  Oh yes, she assured him.  She promised every single part was in the box.

When Andy got home, it quickly became obvious that many parts were missing.  There was much sadness.  Thankfully, Andy has a kind and skilled big brother who figured out how to make something scary looking out of the parts that were there so the purchase wasn’t a total loss.  Before Jonathan had made everything all right, though, Andy was overheard to have said, “I’m a dumb idiot who got totally suckered by an old lady!”

Conversation about what friend (stuffed animal) is going to be brought along on the Texas trip:

Andy: I’m going to bring Monkley. (A monkey…bet you had no idea)

Dad:  What friend are you going to bring, Ellie, K.C? (the cow)

Ellie:  No, I’m bringing Tubby. (hippo)

Dad: Oh, really?

Ellie: I’m bringing Tubby ’cause Jack’s a cow stealer.