hanging in there

silas was on vacation in new york for 10 days.

(i did not mention this because i did not want to be attacked by someone who thought i was alone and defenseless.  and by the way, i was not defenseless.  i was armed with mace and a handgun, and i know how to use at least one of them.)

he got back saturday afternoon, and started his second year of podiatry school on monday.

(we are overjoyed.  OVERJOYED, i tell you.)

one on hand, it's great.  really.  all the hopes and prayers and money and time and energy and sleep sacrificed to the cause of Education have paid off.  we're here.  silas is in school, taking classes that actually relate to his future career.

but on the other hand (the negative one)...when one thinks about how much lies ahead, one sometimes feels like this.

but one (or two) can be cheered up a bit by the promise of masterchef and frozen pizza and ice cream.

especially if it's the best ice cream ever.

don't let the uninspiring packaging fool you.  this stuff is amazing.  like funfetti cake batter ice cream with cream cheese frosting but even better.  you will love it*.

winco stocks it.  

in case you're interested.  

now go have a great evening.

i'm going to go shower.  i just remembered i haven't done that since monday morning.

*unless your name is silas and your sugar tolerance is about a teaspoon/day.

flying solo

silas and the pup left for the weekend to hike some mountains and catch some fish.

last night i watched a chick flick (with DAVID TENNANT in it, how could i not?) and ate mint chocolate chip ice cream.  then i had another bowl of mint chip, this time with a warm, freshly baked cookie on top.

i took a shower.  and later a bath.  i shaved my legs (!!).

(i am a lazy shaver.  as in, i do it once every week or two.)

i fell asleep around 11, gleefully stretched out over the whole bed.  i almost texted silas to ask why he didn't leave me his pillow.  

i prefer two pillows.  just so you know.

this morning was slow.

slow in a good way, though.

i didn't roll out of bed till around 8, and took my sweet time getting ready.  i made the boys pancakes, and we didn't finish up breakfast until around 9:30.

i had some visitors, a nice lunch.  there wasn't an excessive amount of screaming.  the boys went down for naps without freaking out (tesla) or hitting me (desmond).  no one threw books at me.  i know the current whereabouts of 3 out of 4 sippy cups.

days like this make it possible to make it through the others.  :)



i hope you're having a nice weekend.  make it a relaxing one.

tender moments

today, silas and i sat on the living room floor, sharing a pint of ice cream.

he was trying to spoon a huge chunk of heath bar out of the ice cream it was enveloped in.  i was doing my best to thwart his efforts with my own spoon.

"knock it off!" he said.  i grinned at him.

"did you know that one of my greatest pleasures in life is annoying you?"

he snorted.  "i know.  i'm always there for it."

"shut up," i said.  "you like to annoy me too.  you live for it."

he agreed as i dug out my own chunk of ice cream-covered candy.

"that's what makes us married," i said.

old picture.  say hi to bald newborn tesla!

seriously though.  i know we can't be the only ones that love to push each others' buttons.

i know, i know, love your spouse and all that.


it's just so fun.

he did it!

today, silas took his last final and has finished his first year of podiatry school!  enter bbq chicken pizza and ben & jerry's.

now he has a 2 week break before summer term starts.  (more classes!  yay!)  but we're going to make the most of it.  and he's going up to utah next week with sirius to run the timpanogos trail marathon, because he's crazy awesome and much more athletic and driven than i will ever be.

(the boys and i will not be tagging along, since silas and i have a strict "no road trips with children under the age of 5" policy.  this policy was enacted after several miserable road trip experiences.)

in other news, silas and i watched "the help" last week.  i am aware that i was most likely the last person in the entire universe to see that movie (and no, i haven't read the book yet either), but for the record...it was very good.  i cried a TON, which i was not prepared for.  tonight we're renting "one for the money", which i'm pretty sure will elicit no tears.  haha.

and in other other news, last night i finished my 29th book of this year.  (!!!)  it was a good one.  i started my 30th today.  

i feel ridiculously pleased with myself for this accomplishment, but i have a feeling i probably shouldn't be.  i think that if we were playing a phrase association game, "reading 30 books in 6 months" would be grouped with "cat lady", "asocial", "no life", and "is friends with the grocery baggers".

you know how it is.

i love how he just crashed, not on either of the beds or on his blanket, but right in front of the door.  oh, little tessles.

have a spectacular weekend.

fermentation to perfection

i was informed that my last post made me sound a wee bit depressed.  if it did, i apologize.  i didn't intend to give off "wallowing in my own sorrow" vibes.  i'm good.  things are good.  desmond hit me over the head with a huge plastic toy today.

(i'm not depressed.)

silas is a very patient man.  i think living with me is like a refiner's fire for his character.  by the end of our lives he's going to be practically perfect.

the other day he came home and i pointed to a bowl on the counter and announced gleefully, "i'm fermenting rice!"

he just shook his head.  he didn't share my pride or enthusiasm for home fermentation.

just so you know, it went to a good use.

steamed sourdough bread!

(i know, what?)

i found this recipe and was curious enough to try it.  the verdict?

interesting.  i actually really liked the flavor and the heartiness of it.  the only thing i wasn't crazy about was the texture, the middle wasn't as dry as i would have liked it to be.  (easily remedied by toasting it, btw.  mmmm.)  maybe i need to steam it longer?  who knows.  but i am proud of myself for making it.  i feel so hardcore.

another recipe i am a fan of is this homemade "ice cream".  i've seen tons of recipes like this floating around but i never actually tried one until last week, when tesla was sick.  (it was the only thing i could convince him to eat.)  he looooves ice cream (except when he says "ice" it rhymes with "grass".  think about it) and this was a big hit.

sometimes we have it for breakfast.  i even snuck some kale in the other day and he was none the wiser.  it seems to go over better than smoothies (even though it's practically the same thing), and the thickness makes it easier to eat with a spoon.  slightly less messy.  (but still pretty messy)

lovely weather lately.  it's only been in the 90s.  (i never thought the phrase "only in the 90s would pass my lips.  or my keyboard.  arizona has lowered my standards.)  today it even rained for 5 minutes!  i love love LOVE rainy, cloudy days.  although i'm told by my friends in the northwest that it gets old.

remember the game Perfection?  i saw it at target for $5 and bought it on a whim (i think roughly 80-90% of target's revenue comes from impulse buys).  it was a very fruitful whim to follow, it turns out.  tesla loves it.  i love that he sits there by himself and puts all the pieces in, since i usually can't get him to do puzzles.  use those problem-solving skills, little man.


and i have an announcement to make!

i am halfway to my goal of reading 50 books in 2012!  looks like i'm on track to finish strong.  in the beginning i questioned whether or not this goal was realistic, but who am i kidding.  of course it is!  i have no social life!

wait, that's not totally true.  i went to playgroup today.



less than a month until MASTERCHEF SEASON 3!!!!