Smoothies

The teenagers call them "dank".  I'd be insulted except that evidently today's "dank" does not mean what "dank" meant in MY day.  I started making these after Dearbhla indoctrinated me back in November.  They are green.  They are full of things kids typically hate to eat.  They are healthy.  They taste great and they MIGHT, JUST, make you HEALTHIER.  Feel free to skip all that and just focus on the fact that they are DANK!  I have been on a daily dose of these since early November and I'm not sayin' I'm cured or nothin' but we have had a hell of a lot of exposure to colds, strep and other bugs and although I have a nasty cough right now I have avoided other viruses.  Interesting.  (Started some new drugs for said cough today.)

Snowed IN? Or Snowed OUT?

I didn't really get snowed IN in Bellingham, but I did get snowed OUT of Freshwater Bay Road.  My Thanksgiving Celebration with Dearbhla was extended by four days (which was fine with me!)  We had lots of fun, I got to go to Target and squeezed in a trip to my favorite Goodwill.  Gus missed Trent horribly.  His moods swung accordingly.  The forbidden words "dumb" and "stupid" were in frequent use, as was the not forbidden though overused word "annoying". 

Dearbhla makes these ridiculous Vegetable Smoothies and the idea has taken hold in our house, with even neighbor kids coming by to drink the bright green, veggie packed, mineral rich, icy slush!  Trent is reluctant but I added extra fruit to yesterday's and he admitted it was "okay".  Food color can be a powerful stimulant or an even more powerful depressant!!!  A bright green drink is a hard sell, but four out of six of us are on board.  Gene likes it because I told him : "you drink this and you don't have to eat another vegetable for the rest of the day".   Here's the ingredient lineup:
Kale, Handful of raw almonds, celery, apple, pear, banana, squeeze of lemon juice, tablespoon of honey, strawberries, ice.
The look is "yuck".  The taste is surprisingly fruity.  The boys still agree that "chugging" it is the only way to get it down! 

You Are Here

Bay unfolded a big map tonight at bedtime and asked Trent : "where is Auntie Dearbhla's house on this map"  it was a map of the peninsula, but anyway...  Here is where we all are...

Gene is : basketball, driving, smirking, schedule
Neil is : homework, fitting in, home, cooking
Gus is : loud, running, what-are-we-doing-today
Bay is : loud, bossing, directing, demanding, princess-shoes, pink, animals
Trent is : tractor
Dara is : chaos to order, yelling, picking up other people's shit, attitude, cooking
Our family is : mostly making it up as we go along, but we're still here, still talking (man, is there EVER a more talkingest crowd).  It's not always pretty and I'm a little worried that Gus's ipod has camcorder capabilities that could easily put us on youtube.  Heaven forBID.

"A Sister Is A Friend Forever" (or something like that). (Of course so is a kitty.)

I would NEVER buy a smooshy card for MY sister. And if SHE ever bought one for me she would NEVER live it down. But we really are the very best of friends. When we get together my main goal is to "hang out". (Well.... I do love to shop in Bellingham... so I must admit I love JUST "hanging out" AND "hanging out while shopping" too.) We have the best time and I never laugh as much as when Dearbhla's around. It's not as though we live far apart. I'm two hours from Brian and Terry and four from Dearbhla and Tom but it seems to be ridiculously hard for us all to get together. We have SUCH a blast when we do. Some of my best memories are all of us sitting around in Victoria hanging out and well, quite frankly laughing about all kinds of stuff. There have been a few times where it's even included Barry and Mona, which is even more bizarre and more fun. Those times that we have all been together (in the roles of FUNCTIONAL adults!) have been hilarious. All our houses are pretty fun and relaxing to visit but rumor has it that Mona treats all guest to BREAKFAST IN BED. Seriously. Barry probably doesn't realize how lucky he is (not that HE gets breakfast in bed... I don't know if he does or not) but ANYONE who goes to the trouble of providing breakfast in bed to ANYONE anyTIME has got to be a pretty cool wife! None of the rest of us do it. On school mornings I provide breakfast and clean up afterwards.... but on days off... the boys are on their own and they'd better clean up too! (AND feed their sister). Breakfast in bed around here would require a doctor's note.

Happy Birthday, Dearbhla!

You're kind of old, but at least you have your sense of humor. Can this count as a card?

Weekend with the cousins

Bay loves Auntie Dearbhla's house. She loves her cousins... loves to get to play in a house where dress-up is an integral part of the day. When we are there she is off playing... rarely seeking me out as she does everyplace else.... except maybe Auntie Terry's, where she is positively spoiled by all four of her cousins. Neil and Bay came with me to Dearbhla's, along with Dad and Mom. The ferry from Port Townsend is the smallest I've ever been with, but a lovely ride. I really want to spend a day in Port Townsend with the kids, it's a great little town.

On a separate note, the boys were in Chris and Chelsey's wedding. Our BABYSITTERS are getting married... this is a sign that you are getting old... Chris and Chelsey are like family. They have been our babysitters since Gus was about two. The boys have so many stories that start with "remember when Chris and Chelsey took us to.... " Our family's favorite Chris and Chelsey story involves..... Trent and I going out.... Chris and Chelsey feeding the boys.... Neil chokes on hot dog... Chris does Heimlich maneuver on Neil... Hot dog flies out of Neil's mouth... Ginny eats hot dog... Interestingly this story focuses on the gross factor of Ginny eating the post-Heimliched hot dog... not so much on Chris and Chelsey saving Neil's life!! Chelsey has never missed a holiday without including the boys in cards or gifts... including Valentines AND Halloween. Photos of the boys in tuxedos will follow.