[Kermit singing “The Rainbow Connection” in the background.]
Rollie: “I’m a dreamer.”
Todd nods.
Me: “That’s a good thing, baby.”
Rollie: “Sometimes I’m a nightmare.”
Todd and I nod some more.
Archive for the ‘todd’ Category
While Watching the Muppet Movie
Saturday, April 3rd, 2010Life Gets in the Way, But Let Me Fast Forward It For You
Monday, March 22nd, 2010This has been my worst month of posting in years. Life has really gotten in the way. Many reasons come into play. Me training for another triathlon. Work. Lots of company, like Todd’s cousin Jenn, and my friend Honey and her family, and my mom is having surgery on her foot, and mom and dad having moved, a neighbor and i started a community website, Dekalb county board of education sucks, and I have to sometimes cook and do laundry and make beds, or at least enough so that todd won’t divorce me.
A recap in pictures (just hold your mouse over each one for the witty caption):
I guess that kind of sums it up.
Yeah, Dogwood is back. She’s back!
The Pirate Queen, and her Former Associates
Saturday, March 6th, 2010So, I am the Pirate Queen. I know, I know. . . I should have told you all. But we don’t really talk about it.
That’s a lie. Todd finally told the kids about a year ago.
“Your Mother’s The Pirate Queen.”
I was a little miffed that he didn’t tell them i am The Bandit Queen, because i love her, but I guess Pirate Queen is pretty bitchin’ too. The kids were in awe. They scream and get that scared look when I play pirate queen. We even have an old trunk in our bedroom that belonged to my Aunt Lessie. Todd told the kids that they can’t go into the trunk because it contains a skeleton. In reality, it holds:
a couple of tees that belonged to the kids when they were babies
Love letters and crap from a couple of ex-boyfriends (guess i should get rid of them, but i think they are funny)
three old hat boxes
mardi gras beads
college diploma and cap and gown
pennies
photos
God knows what else. (I don’t open it! There’s a skeleton in there!)
So, the other day, Tiller and I were at Jason’s Deli. The cool thing about JD is that they have both ice cream and a salad bar. I can get healthy stuff and tiller can get diabetes. Win win.
So, we are sitting there. Tiller has her ice cream cone in one hand and her potato chip in another, dipping the chips into the ice cream. Her hair makes her look like a mental patient, because she cut it herself that morning with craft scissors. I am on my iPhone, getting my ass kicked in Scrabble by Jerry Kane, which is sad, because i have like a million hours to come up with a play while Tiller, the slowest eater in the East, finishes her Ice Cream Chips.
Tiller whispers, pointing a finger over my head, her eyes HUGE in her face: “Mama.”
Me, distractedly, because how am I going to overcome the damn EIGHTY POINT WORD JERRY KANE JUST LAID ON ME? “Yes, baby?”
Tiller: “Mama, look. It’s a pirate.” Her frightened whisper catches my attention.
Me, pushing her pointing finger down to the tabletop: “Baby, it’s not nice to point.” I look over my right shoulder as a man walks past. I watch him walk to his table, his back to us, then he pulls out a chair, sits down, and his face is revealed to me as he turns to his dining partner.
He’s wearing an eye patch.
The Decemberists’ The Bandit Queen, for reference:
Good Day Sunshine
Monday, February 22nd, 2010Woke up yesterday with a slight headache, but once I had lunch I felt fine. Spent the whole day outside with the family. Todd (finally) put up my Bulldog bird feeder. I moved Eddie Rabbit back to the edge of the treeline in the backyard, so that he will peek out at us on the patio. We cleaned the patio off, and I moved my new planters where I wanted them. We put out more birdfeed. Checked on the hydrangea I put in (it was one of my birthday gifts). Hung some wind chimes. Todd cleared out a huge section of our ivy and some ugly bushes (no idea what they are, but neither of us particularly like them). Talked about ideas for bed plantings in the future. Looked at bulbs starting to poke up through the ground. Oohed and aahhhed over the yellow crocus popping up around my Redbud. Picked up sticks. Poured pea gravel in the walk near the garage where we get a lot of runoff.
All the while, the kiddos ran around doing a “scavenger hunt” in the yard that I set up before we started. Then, Todd showered and we took the kids to St. Bede’s for some bike riding. One thing I hate about my house is that my street is a cut-through and jerks drive over the hill two houses up from me so fast that the kids wouldn’t have time to get out of the way of a car speeding. Our driveway is too steep to really ride. So, we take them to the park, or to the cul-de-sac up the street to ride. St. Bede’s is the best, though. A large, flat, shaded parking lot where the kids can ride in big sweeping circles. Rollie has gotten great at riding without the training wheels and Tiller is a daredevil with her training wheels. She almost flips that bike over three or four times whenever we take her out. It is gut-wrenching and thrilling to watch them.
Came back home, had a beer while grilling chicken and asparagus, and then ate that with scalloped potatoes. Yum.
Good day. My kids watched ZERO television yesterday. I LOVE warm weather.
The 80’s Comb
Monday, February 15th, 2010You thought this was going to be some fun post about 80s hairstyles [Robin, I’m lookin’ at you], and oh, are you going to be disappointed. It’s a post about a comb. From the 80s. No, I am not kidding you.
See, we were talking about 80s stuff at a girls’ night recently, and somehow Todd’s comb came up.
We're taking it on Antiques Roadshow next time they come around.
I am pretty sure it is the comb that he had in middle school or high school, because I remember people having similar ones, TWENTY FIVE YEARS AGO.
What is truly funny about this is that I started dating Todd eleven years ago this week (we met on February the 13th, 1999) and I think i laughed once or twice about this comb, like, “haha, couldn’t afford a new comb, huh?” and then somehow, i just started using the comb when I was spending the night over there, and one day, the comb was not funny to me anymore, and now i use the comb from 1986, and don’t even think twice about it, and that is just sad, and some kind of even sadder comment on what marriage does to a girl.
Like I’m so downtrodden that I can’t even buy my own damn modern day comb. And if i did buy one, it wouldn’t be aqua, white, and pink, that’s for dang sure.
Rainy Sunday, Good Times
Monday, January 25th, 2010With all the rain over the weekend, we were about to go nuts at Chez Dogwood. We decided to get out for the day, weather be damned!
First, we went to Dim Sum at Canton House. One of the best parts of our new neighborhood is its proximity to really great, diverse, and cheap food on Buford Highway. Buford Highway is just an absolute festival of delights. Love it.
Dim Sum is great with the kiddos, because it’s a fun way to get them to try things they haven’t had before, what with all the choices and them being able to take a look at things before we order them, and carts. Carts are fun! Also, Canton House has crazy big chandeliers and there’s nothing that says “fancy” to kids like chandeliers. Rollie tried both clams and squid, which i had my doubts either of them would try. Couldn’t get Tiller to eat a clam, but she put away the squid like there was no tomorrow. Rollie is definitely the more adventurous eater, though, and he loved the dumplings and the tofu roll that we gave him.
After that, we headed back out into the rain and over to Plaza Fiesta for the indoor playground. PF is a mall frequented by the Hispanic population in Atlanta. It is AWESOME. I love going in a place and having it be like a completely different country. Everything in Spanish and English (but mostly Spanish). Churro stands. Tacos and Mexican bakery in their food court, even with Univision and Soccer on the TVs. Tiller loves all the dolls on display, the cheap and frilly cake toppers, and the Quinceanara dresses. She walked up to two on display and asked me “Which ones are they, Mama?” “Which what?” I said. “Princesses. Which Princesses are these?” I told her all the little girls get to be Princess for a day. Me? I like the creepy baby angels and Jesus statues. This is also the place to go for your cowboy wear. I love the older guys walking around in cowboy hats and boots and belt buckles, like it was the southwest. It even has an open tattoo parlor. (The reviews on Yelp say all of this much better than I ever could.)
After that, we headed over to Buford Highway Farmer’s Market. Love this place, as the people watching is stellar, it is clean, and they have an awesome selection. It makes me want to cook fresh yummy stuff. Which Todd did last night. We bought our hot tortillas for a buck, and made steak tacos with fresh pico de gallo and guacamole. So yummy. I even made up a tequila drink to go with it. (We were out of mixer and Triple Sec, so i used oranges, lime, and sugar, and dressed it with a slice of Starfruit. I named it the Lone Star.)
All in all a good day that ended not so great, when it became apparent that Rollie didn’t feel good. He felt warm and wanted to go to sleep before dinner. Woke up with a headache and a 102+ fever. Poor kid. And doesn’t it always figure that they get sick on your day off? Tiller has school Monday/Wednesday/Friday, so of course Rollie comes down sick Monday morning. Usually, I would get a couple hours to myself. Today, I have both the boys here. Guess I should just be thankful and give hugs and kisses to my Rolls and my Toddler.
Here are some pictures from our Sunday adventures.
Chicks Dig Todd
Saturday, January 23rd, 2010A wonderful birthday surprise was pulled over on me last evening. Todd took me to Iberian Pig for dinner (very good – I almost cried, the Bacon-Wrapped Dates were so good.) Then we walked over to Twain’s to play some pool and found a kajillion friends there. i was suspicious, though, as not one of my friends asked me to do something for my birthday. Still made me feel sick to my stomach to be the center of attention, but I washed that away with beer. Head only hurt a little bit today.
Thanks again to Ned and Vanessa for carting me home. (They didn’t have to use a cart. I swear.) They are the best.
Pictures didn’t come out that great, but I did take one that cracked me up really hard. I took it with QuadCamera for the iPhone. It takes four shots in succession. Todd has a new shirt that has snaps, instead of buttons. The chicks were totally diggin’ it. . .
That third one just kills me.
The Bigass Bulldog Birdhouse Birthday
Friday, January 22nd, 2010Why, yes . . . yes, I did get a $100 dollar Georgia Bulldog birdhouse for my birthday. Funny story behind that, which I will get to in a moment. But first, I have to say that I had a lovely morning, getting to sleep late, which for people with kids means eight a.m. (Screw you, childless folk.)
I woke up to Todd and Tiller climbing in bed with me (Rollie had already caught the bus), and Todd doing a darn good version of The Beatles’ “Birthday,” with Tiller grinning like a cheshire cat and a cup of coffee materializing on my bedside table.
Coffee. In. Bed.
Then I was informed that I should finish my coffee get dressed and go downstairs. I did, and I found this:
Hundred dollar Georgia Bulldog birdhouse with hydrangea and cards.
I was a little caught off guard. That is one big ass bulldog birdhouse. Did the Tiger husband really buy me a bulldog birdhouse? Is this a joke? (Also, let’s be honest. While I am a bulldog fan, I don’t want to be those people. You know, the ones who have UGA everything. That being said, if those folks at the lake ever die, I am so going to try to buy their huge Bulldog statue they have in front of their cabin, right on the lake.)
We opened the very sweet cards from the kids and Todd, and I oohed and aahhed over the birdhouse and the hydrangea. I asked Todd, “Am i really allowed to put the birdhouse in the yard?” It seemed to pain him as he replied, “yes, baby, you just tell me where.”
“Where on earth did you get it?” I asked.
“Echo’s garage!” Tiller replied with glee. “Echo” is what Tiller calls Mr. Echols, the old man who lives next door to us. Some things you just don’t correct, because they are too cute.
I stared at Todd and then the truth came out.
Mr. Echols likes to show us stuff in his yard. He has a friend, who made him a couple of birdhouses, huge wooden deals, kind of more on the side of what Todd and I call, “Country Christian” or “Ducks in Bonnets” style than cool and funky folk art Finster-style birdhouses. Meaning, not exactly what I would choose, but neat enough.
So, Echo was showing Todd the birdhouses and telling him about the friend who makes them, and all the different styles he makes. “He also makes Georgia Bulldog birdhouses,” he said.
Todd replied, “Oh, Anne would love that!” Being polite, you know.
So, a few days before Christmas, Mr. Echols pulled Todd aside to show him my new birdhouse. That’s right. He just went ahead and had the guy make me the birdhouse. FOR A HUNDRED DOLLARS.
Todd had already bought me Christmas gifts, and he didn’t want to hurt Echo’s feelings, so he decided the birdhouse would be my birthday gift.
And what a gift it is. . . I will never look at that birdhouse without thinking that my husband, the Auburn Tiger, is sweet enough to just cough up the hundred bucks so as not to hurt Echo’s feelings, and that he loves me enough to put up a bigass Bulldog backyard birdhouse for me.
Already this birthday is pretty bitchin.’ Thanks, Toddler!
Restaurant Suggestions
Sunday, January 17th, 2010So, Todd wants to take me out for my birthday dinner. Suggestions? What are your favorite restaurants?
Yeah, i don’t get out much, i guess. Help a loser out.
Brutal and Murderous
Tuesday, January 5th, 2010When we got into bed last night, I looked over to find Todd reading Roald Dahl’s Fantastic Mr. Fox.
I smiled and said, “What are you doing?”
It seems that the other night, Rollie decided to read Fantastic Mr. Fox. We are very proud of him, as he still likes to be read to by us before bed, but then he goes into his room and reads chapter books until he falls asleep. He read Fantastic Mr. Fox twice, and then told Todd that “he could read it after he was done.”
“Oh,” I said, “so you are actually reading it so you can discuss it? That’s nice!”
Todd: “Um, no, just skimming.”
Me: “For what?”
Todd explained that last night, Todd went into Rollie’s room and he was reading the Children’s Dictionary that he received for Christmas from Uncle Lyle and Aunt Denise. (One of Rollie’s coolest gifts, in the opinion of a word nerd like me.)
Todd asked what Rollie was doing. Rollie replied, “I’m looking up “brutal” and “murderous.”
Needless to say, they were not to be found in the Children’s Dictionary.
Todd explained what they mean to Rollie, and was looking through the Dahl book, wondering if they were mentioned in that book. No mention. I wondered if he read it on the cover of Todd’s “Left For Dead 2” xBox game. Nope. Nothing.
Where on earth did my sweet boy learn these words? I am baffled. And at the same time, oddly impressed with his vocabulary. And maybe a little worried that I am raising a serial killer.