seagrape

chicks

2011-11-27T14:22:00.001-05:00

in a few weeks they can roam freely in the backyard

and in six months they will be laying eggs ^.^

her first suitor

2011-05-17T11:05:00.001-04:00

Snow is 11 now. This afternoon, a boy stopped by with some nutty bars. As I took this picture, I told them they kinda look alike. One of them replied, "Yeah, except we are not brother and sister, we are boyfriend and girlfriend."

Snowcones, merengue and waltz :) What ever happened to playdates spending countless hours setting up playmobil and legos???

They laid in the hammock out in the backyard. Maku was nosy enough to follow them around. Marc and I were nosy enough to spy from the back window while chewing on yummy nutty bars.

here is Snow...all smiles hours after the boy left

And here I am...bemused.

I took a snapshot hoping to capture the strangest mix of emotions I was experiencing. This is what I got. Me. Feeling (and looking) 11 years older. *sigh*

i spy...

2011-04-29T13:11:00.002-04:00

...with my little eye...

blue fingernails

a purple door

a pink camera

marc's cracked iphone

hockey happiness is...

2011-03-09T14:51:00.023-05:00

...getting to your seat and realizing only a piece of glass separates you from the rink

...cheering, screaming, and doing the wave (it was Capitals vs. Lightning - for those who want to know :P)

...being welcomed in somebody's lap when pucks and players slamming onto the opposite side of the glass where you are sitting terrify you

SLAM!

...zambonis

...shootouts

...and being 10 years old and having a puck land in your lap at your first ever hockey game.

well, actually, it landed on my shin (ow!) then bounced off. i managed to grab it but lost my grip. it then slid across the floor, we struggled with someone who jumped from three rows behind us. after a few seconds of pinching and nudging - wine spilled and camera banged - the puck was ours!

and after the game...

it's this

this

and this :)

plus one

2011-02-17T19:02:00.004-05:00

This is Ollie. We adopted him last week. He is a 3 year old maltipoo.
He brings us smiles, giggles, and fleas :)

Welcome to our family, Ollie. We love you :*

laundry bits

2011-01-09T14:54:00.004-05:00

looking through pics...

missing blogging :)

it's a process :)

2010-11-17T20:12:00.025-05:00

all moved in with Marc and his cat Prairie - and Maku and Snow of course ;)
moving in with someone as an adult is such a complex thing or maybe because there are two other little hearts involved.
i have been going through a lot of mixed feelings; a sense of uneasiness within my calmness, happiness tinted with dismay, seemingly content but burdened at the same time.
yep. one of my few gloomy posts...but like i said happy but sad :)

i take solace in friends and family (and a little bit of alcohol here and there), ^.^ i find it soothing to listen, dance, and sing to my favorite music but i somehow find daily comfort in the simplicity and nakedness of what is around me. i like my furniture plain and rough, i like my cupboards barely full, my fridge almost empty. my walls almost bare. unembellished and unadorned. stark and primitive.
i do not like to display machine-made art or one that is suffocating under a piece of glass. i do not like to keep things in case i need them one day.
i am whining, i know. i am quickly learning about compromising. something i never had to do before. i don't know why, maybe because i shared similar views with that certain person i lived with throughout most of my adult life or simply because he spoiled me to death (until he got tired of it and left --heehee).

and now, as i hang framed prints and laminated photos :P, i look at pictures of my old place-- missing how my home was and at the same time feeling a bit triumphant that i am finally growing up and, well...compromising :) --> this is my effort to look at the bright side :D
and no, you will not see photos of my cluttered walls :)
oh hey, i went to las vegas the other week. maybe i should talk about that ;) or how i need to change my header, i've had that sea urchin pic for over a year now :)

cousins

2010-08-13T15:46:00.000-04:00

family of 13

2010-08-12T12:23:00.002-04:00

5 kids
8 grown ups
1 dog
and 10 gallons of water a day :)

it has been 5 1/2 awesome days. and no, i do not keep track by the empty water jugs
but it is so fun how consistent we have been with our water consumption ;)

9 more jugs of water to go...then we have to part once again :'/

visiting pennsylvania

2010-08-10T11:31:00.002-04:00

i find myself under this tree again after two years
but this time under different circumstances ;)
it seems like decades ago when i posted this
but really it was only about a hundred blog posts ago
how things change :D

mug shots :D

2010-07-18T14:40:00.002-04:00

awesomeness :)

we wanted a rumpus

2010-07-08T19:12:00.004-04:00

and so we lit some torches

and waited for darkness

we played with fire

and waited some more

soon we saw Captain Jack Sparrow

and made the statue of Liberty run

some of us truly believed they can parkour

the beach, the moon, and the magic that only a summer night can bring :)

here and well

2010-06-02T18:33:00.006-04:00

kicking sand
pulling boats -- for the camera ;)
and hopefully soon --blogging regularly

looking at old pics

2010-03-02T13:09:00.007-05:00

...and wondering why i stopped blogging...

i never posted about Snow's boat and how much she loved it

she took it to the pool

the bay

the gulf

i never talked about Maku's garden

where he rode his giant tree

and talked to his shadow

i never mentioned our mustache

and all the fun it brought to our home.
the boat is now wrecked, the tree chopped down, and the mustache destroyed
but what the heck, we are still here. :)

just another day at the beach

2010-02-02T17:52:00.007-05:00

grub :: seagulls :: shadows

boys jumping :: girls chatting :: umbrellas breaking

we dig holes : : we bury our legs

we play :: we hug

the beach :: we heart it :)

yay! he turned 6 today!

2010-01-26T18:29:00.006-05:00

just look at those 6 year old feet ;)

As many have noticed I took a little break from blogging, I'm not even going to mention that I'll be posting more because things just don't work out that way for me. But I did just mention it, didn't I? :D

Ironman World Championship 70.3

2009-11-23T12:26:00.000-05:00

ripper

2009-11-22T12:09:00.000-05:00

brown legs / red hands / pink claws / blue wings

it never got its claws...

why sit around and wait to get them? there are too many places to explore, things to see, battles to fight

ripper -- it can blink, it can sit, it can fight, it can fly -- but it can't rip :)

the journey back

2009-11-21T20:27:00.000-05:00

Three days later, we were back at our campsite with my niece, Jin and Marc's friend, Corey.
The children were bursting with excitement, joy, and delight:

cheers of excitement to rope swing once again

of joy in hunting for more (smelly) treasures

and of delight to get on the swing that was so talked about

While Marc and Corey were setting up to sail, they were talking about how they can make it back in less than twenty minutes with favorable winds.
The drive was a little over ten miles; and with the after-work rush, drawbridges, and about a dozen traffic lights -- it would also take about twenty minutes to get back by land.
That takes about the same time...so why not race?

VAN VS BOAT-- the start line

Bring it on!
"""Team Van spotted the white sail with the blue and red stripe from every bridge they crossed, the children screamed and squealed each time. And with a little over a mile to go, driving down Ocean Blvd., they saw the sail again!"""

the finish line -- Team Van won!

Team Boat arrived cold and wet a few minutes later.

The celebration of the great race and of Miracle (Marc's boat) getting back home went on until sundown. Victory dances and victory cries were seen and heard until it was time to go home for supper and homework.

marc's boat race

2009-11-20T13:22:00.000-05:00

and the time we spent a chilly night by his boat, the bay, and rope swings

while Maku and I played by the dock, Snow kept busy working on her project collecting competitors' autographs

Maku wanted to start a project of his own, and came up with this:

photographing his little men doing all sorts of things

in all sorts of places. --these are the same guys stationed to pick up beans

after some hot cocoa it was time to head back to camp...

Snow set up a kitchen pantry above our heads. where she stacked canned oysters, granola bars, crackers, and a jar of peanut butter, all of which fell on my face in the middle of the night.

we were lulled to sleep by the whistling of the wind, the clanging of boat bells, and the sound of the surf. i'd like to think my little ones slept with thoughts of sailors and of pirates, of lost islands and buried treasure; and that this was one night in their childhood that they will always recall in great detail.

we woke up to the bestest, brightest sunrise

low tide treasures

and boats dressed warmly :D

Marc was in the race for a few seconds maybe minutes, it was too windy for his boat. Hopefully it'll be calmer weather next year.

after breakfast we said goodbye to his boat with a promise to return the next day to bring her back home

i just can't let another year pass without a halloween post

2009-11-19T15:21:00.000-05:00

my friend Gisel's nails looking all halloweeny :)

picking out pumpkins and hugging them too

we carved our jack o lantern with two new friends, Marc and Jin's dog Cassy. they are not in this picture but they were there ;)

Maku was a ninja again but a few inches taller this time around

Snow was a doll or something ;)

now that this post is out of the way, I'll try to update here more often...miss you all :)

showing a little joy...

2009-10-22T11:01:00.009-04:00

...in the parking lot...

...cuz we got the tin can Snow needed for her school project. ^.^

marc's eye

2009-10-13T10:28:00.003-04:00

just one of the good good things in my inbox yesterday. :)

and here's the rest of his face. and mine :D

remnants of one good weekend

2009-10-08T08:57:00.010-04:00

after another

after another

after another

a watermelon and shark kind of weekend ;)

2009-10-05T11:13:00.011-04:00

and here's the shark. Maku told me this morning the shark looked like it was five years old and that he would never swim in shallow waters without his mommy if he was a five year old shark.

i tried to capture the children's fascinated faces knowing my friends will take loads of pics of the shark. this is the best i could do, my camera battery wasn't cooperating.

and the shark went weee! weee! weee! all the way home. :)

my bff Marlen

2009-09-24T17:49:00.010-04:00

my friend Marlen and I made it to the beach at 8:30 this morning, greeted by seagulls and freshly raked sand.

no toys, no trucks, no dolls and no shovels just peanut butter sandwiches and bananas in our beach bags.
i've known Marlen for two years now and she has become more like a sister to me than just a friend --or should i say more like a mom. she prepares our beach snack, she delivers black beans to my home every week, takes my avocados out of the fridge, honks my car horn for me every time a car gets in my way, and look at her here -setting up camp.

she is so proper, and fancy, and organized
she didn't get a speck of sand on her body this morning -- which explains her deep even tan while mine is ten different shades of brown
we are such complete opposites yet we get along so wonderfully

she had major trouble with our umbrella this morning, i laughed at her seriousness and determination for not wanting my help cuz "i"ll just mess things up"

we chatted, we swam, we walked. she told me about these really nice shoes on sale that were my size. yup, she even browses size 5 1/2 shoes and i know there is no way she'd fit in one.

we spent five hours together just the two of us, without the kiddos --and it felt like such a short time.
yay to friendship! and to our umbrella staying up!

this is a bit bizarre..

2009-09-22T18:08:00.007-04:00

there was a crowd on the beach

Snow and Maku were not running all over the place

they paused and posed for a pic (a very rare occurrence)

and godzilla simply walked by and left this structure untouched

what odd things a coming storm can bring

just me and myself

2009-09-17T18:33:00.010-04:00

it has been almost a month that both my little ones are in school full time. i've been busy getting to know myself, meeting up with friends nearby, yapping on the phone with ones that are far away.

i've been txting like a fool, dancing like a fool, taking pictures of myself like a fool. life is good and it gets even better when they get home at 3 o'clock and we get to do the fun little things we always do together..

and it feels just a teeny-tiny bit more special since we've missed each other all day.

and I end this post with one last photo of me, looking so refreshed and loving this new routine. :D

a hanging bridge

2009-08-11T11:50:00.003-04:00

inspired by the Bunlap tribe of Vanuatu.

oh. okay.

2009-08-07T19:16:00.003-04:00

it's not the first time i've heard it. so, okay, i grind my teeth and talk in my sleep. i like tulips and lilies...those are beautiful things :)

beach hopping

2009-08-05T10:02:00.001-04:00

For the rest of the summer, the children are determined to hit every public beach access in our area. We started with this one, one we've never been to, since it has one of the longest walks from the parking lot.

To our delight, it was where catamarans go home. :)

And even more delightful, we were invited to sail. Thank goodness there was a storm coming in...I have motion sickness issues.

We helped take the sail down instead. It was my job not to get it wet - a very difficult task for a short girl like me.

I tried to help do this too but I wasn't strong enough.

We had lots of fun and like always we stayed until the sun went down. We'll be visiting another part of the beach soon. I'll let you know how it goes!

they're stripey

2009-07-29T11:09:00.011-04:00

and golden. You've met Nate before from a previous post and you'll be seeing more of him. The tiger is one of Maku's loveys - Sparkley Firegrill.

This excites me. Sparkley is one of my favorite guys. Maku spotted him at a store shelf about three summers ago, we all fell in love with him, and just had to take him home. One of Maku's favorite things to do back then was watch sparks fly from our charcoal grill - and that's how he came up with the name.

Sparkley and Maku used to wear the same size shirts and socks, now it's Nate's turn and he is loving it!!!

wet dog = happy dog

2009-07-27T10:08:00.001-04:00

oh, look! water!

2009-06-29T12:31:00.002-04:00

oh, look! fish in the water!

no swimsuit? no problem!

we didn't catch a single fish. surprise, surprise!

not even Snow's magic wand helped (if I had my way with that wand, I would use it to tame Maku's hair a bit)

so we tried our luck on dry land and caught these guys

we set them free when our clothes were dry enough for our next adventure.

mr. merkur is hurt

2009-06-27T20:08:00.001-04:00

i wonder what happened. he probably slipped on that little yellow car on the floor. he must be thirsty, i don't see a glass of water on his bedside.

snail hunting

2009-06-25T10:37:00.005-04:00

and racing! Snow's snail won. Maku's was second. Mine didn't move at all. Jin wasn't there so we went back with her two days later.

Here we are at the same spot on a different day. The water was darker and so were we. The great race didn't happen; all we found were tiny baby ones, so we spent our time swimming in choppy, murky waters with hundreds of little fish and pieces of jellyfish brushing against our skin.

oh so thoughtful

2009-06-18T23:03:00.016-04:00

Whenever there is an occasion for gift-giving, my 11 year old niece, Jin, never asks me what I want. She sits with me and we talk- a lot, about anything and everything. Our conversation a few days ago was about entering middle school; I talked to her about what to expect, and it led to a discussion of that expected thing every girl gets at an unexpected time. I suggested keeping a pouch in her book bag that has all the necessary items. So for my birthday, she gave me this snake. It's a tampon holder. She designed and made it all by herself. I call it John the Tampon-Eating Python. It rhymes. :)

And this is what she gave me for Christmas last year. A bed for my phone. This is where my phone rests, recharges, and waits to wake me early in the morning. I remember talking to her about making a cell phone bed, and she made one just for me! The bed matches my night table and the fuzzy pillow and sheets match my linens -white and a dreamy blue.

one more day

2009-06-17T13:14:00.003-04:00

until my birthday!

last day of school

2009-05-31T12:10:00.005-04:00

ending the school year with proud smiles

and green drinks
here's to mornings spent the bestest and dirtiest way:

looking forward to a fun-filled summer

still no catch

2009-05-25T10:14:00.004-04:00

high tide, low tide. we need a stick and some fishing line.

making gifts

2009-05-23T09:31:00.000-04:00

Four more days of school. Snow is making little purses and hemp bracelets for her friends; and gathering rocks and shells for her teachers.

Maku is making bendy snakes.

I made this for my brother-in-law Joel last Christmas. He loves Oreos. His birthday is coming up and we have a week to come up with something and then make it! Snow found a pineapple tarts recipe but it is lost in the house somewhere.

rain makes seafood yummy

2009-05-21T20:46:00.002-04:00

Eating mussels on a rainy Wednesday afternoon. There is nothing more fun than using an empty shell as a spoon.
Two hours later, I was cooking again.

We had unshelled shrimp on a bed of sauteed watercress

I saved a plate for a friend. And made sangria for the first time.
Extra crispy shrimp, extra bitter watercress, and extra strong sangria.

sunday fishing

2009-05-03T23:09:00.010-04:00

you just know it's going to be a fine day when you're the first car on the draw bridge
and then greeted by this:

clear blue waters

clear blue skies

goggles, buckets, fishnets on the ready. let's fish!

jin was the most determined

snow found a crab

maku wondered why the water made him thirstier

we didn't catch any fish. but that's okay, we'll be back tomorrow right after school - with some fish bait!

hand painting shirts

2009-04-29T13:42:00.013-04:00

"Battle of the Sea Monsters"

Untitled

"Alien"
then waiting many, many hours to try them on and show them off!

introducing...

2009-04-27T14:26:00.010-04:00

Cassy. Jin's three year old adopted corgi.

and our new best buddy, Nate.
I love the similarity in their poses, which is, by the way, purely coincidental ;)

falling in love...

2009-04-17T10:56:00.003-04:00

...with basketball...

...indoors...outdoors...we can't stop playing.

around the house

2009-03-16T09:00:00.005-04:00

pear-flavored iced green tea with peach-flavored jelly cubes
dirty window sills
jackets in baskets
giggles, tattoos, and silly faces

our backyard

2009-03-11T09:25:00.005-04:00

for 6 1/2 months now
it wasn't til last month that I looked up
and saw that we are once again surrounded by lucky beans
but somehow not too many of them fall on the ground
maybe it's a seasonal thing

but see, we have a system
someone here set up men on posts, instructed to report beans as they hit the ground
we have eight men stationed in the woods
all beans will be spotted and collected

she wants her soup

2009-03-09T14:21:00.004-04:00

There hasn't been much going on around here lately; but I said I'll be here more, so here goes...

This is pretty much what we do around here. Eat. :)
And this is pretty much the whole house. To the left is the rest of the kitchen. The door on the left leads to the laundryroom which leads to the backyard. Right across the stove is our bathroom. I took the pictures sitting on our couch. Behind it are two rooms, one is our bedroom and the other our everything room. Our front door is somewhere to the right.
There is no space unused. No dim hallways. No dark corners. Just windows. Lots and lots of windows. :D

it's still sort of a new year

2009-03-03T09:19:00.008-05:00

and sort of a happy one at that. ;)
It was so nice to see familiar names and faces on my comment page. I've missed you all!
These photos were taken December 30th. The beach was packed that day and a few families started an amateur sandfest. The children made a volcano but secretly wished the takoyaki sandballs was their idea.

I have loads of pics (and emotions :P) to sort out; but I am so excited to be here again, hope I can keep at it!

at the circus

2009-03-01T16:03:00.008-05:00

Snow fell in love with the clown daredevil, Bello Nock

Maku with the the art of contortion

but they were most fascinated with porta-potties
"Mom, why in the world would someone make toilets that don't flush."

hello

2009-01-21T22:00:00.004-05:00

We are still alive and well. Making applesauce and stuff. Why applesauce? Because we bought a jar of applesauce the other day and none of us can open it.

Sir Maku

2008-11-30T10:27:00.004-05:00

the pantless, horseless knight ;)
And no, this wasn't his Halloween costume. I still have to post those. :)
We spent Thanksgiving with my brother-in-law's family. Maku ate so much turkey, he earned a piece of the gizzard. When asked what he was chewing on, he replied, "I think I am chewing on the turkey's nose." Yep, chewing on gizzard is much like chewing on a human nose. Nice.

a recipe

2008-11-24T22:38:00.007-05:00

My appetite is back and I've been feeling hungry all the time. Instead of eating wildly and gaining back all the weight I've lost, I'll just post a recipe to hopefully get my food fix. ;)
Here's a family favorite. The veggie dish is my super-mega-ultra vegan sister's recipe.

Sauteed Mushrooms
Saute chopped garlic in olive oil.
Add sliced mushrooms.
A little bit of black pepper.
Done!

Veggies with some Indian spices
Toast about a tablespoon of cumin seeds in olive oil.
When seeds are looking somewhat burnt, add some turmeric, garam masala and whatever Indian spices you may have sitting on your shelf. Mix. Mix.
When it starts to look pasty, add chopped, unpeeled red potatoes.
When potatoes are tender, add chopped cauliflower, some peas and whatever veggies you have in your kitchen.
Simmer until the aroma makes you so hungry you cannot take it anymore.

some kind of pinocchio

2008-11-21T16:13:00.006-05:00

Yesterday was one of those days when it seemed like the whole day was spent driving the children around town. Almost always one of them manages to make the ride a little exciting.
"Mom! What am I going to do?!? Oh no, I am going to be like this forever."
I glanced at the rearview mirror.
"Okay, calm down. I'll get it unstuck as soon as we get off the car. But I have to take a picture first."

a sunny autumn day

2008-11-17T12:43:00.009-05:00

where a quick dip in freezing water leads to a game of barefoot tennis

and a tennis match leads to fetching balls over fences

and fetching leads to this:

A FENCE RACE!!!

GO! GO! GO!

bean lucky

2008-11-12T09:47:00.056-05:00

Living in a little cottage perfectly fit for the three of us. Affordable yet cozy :)
Greeted every morning with snuggles and giggles from two adorable little ones.
Loose fitting size 00 clothes to match very good hair days.
A late evening phone call from an amazingly handsome surgeon (it's nothing really, well, not yet...but still...)
Life has not been what I expected. I was surrounded by lucky beans...

I chose our last home with Dave for its small size, brick driveway, wood kitchen floors, and the lush backyard forest inhabited by squirrels, raccoons, and snakes. Later, to my surprise, it revealed a little secret -- an abundant supply of lucky beans.

I first saw these red and black beans when my sister gave me bean bracelets she brought home from Guatemala (or was it Peru? or Costa Rica?) about four years ago. I knew they were beans but had no idea they were lucky ;) I also had no idea they can be found here in Florida.

The children were instantly drawn by the brightly colored beans. They often gathered some from the forest and used them for play. They were scattered all over our home, in my car and occassionally one would find its way into our shoes.

Montauk Lighthouse, 1999 (little Snow in my tummy)
When Dave decided to break up the family back in June, I cursed the lucky beans. I did not bring a single one with me to Pennsylvania and when he took us back home in July, I cleared the house of these beans. I must've left a few in my car or the children must've snuck them into the house because that reconciliation lasted less than two months and now that we are finally separated, I have never felt luckier, happier, freer, safer. I am living once again.

He is in Norway right now visiting his girlfriend (the beans brought him some luck too). Before he left, he asked if I would be kind enough to put away his trashbins. My considerate nature agrees to everything, so I said yes. As I put away the bins, I noticed how the plants on the front yard have grown so I walked around the back to take a quick look at the other plants. Then I sat on one of the stone stools I put together for the children, mind empty, I stared into the forest.

Soon enough, the little specks of red on the ground caught my eye and I broke out in tears. Tears of relief and of joy, and of how lucky I am to love and be loved by so many people and to have the strength to re-invent myself and rebuild my life through a very painful and difficult experience. I slowly made my way into the forest, picking up one little bean at a time. I was drawn not by their bright colors but by the fantasy aspect of fate and fortune, of being alone in a forest collecting magical beans, and of entering my forties with a childlike soul.

I emerged out of the woods an hour later with dirt under my fingernails, twig-scratched arms, bug-bitten legs, and a pocketful of beans. :)

There's a lot of luck to go around. If you would like some just email me. But beware! Travel Africa says the beans contain poison that can paralyze or cause respiratory failure and this wikipedia link talks about death by a finger-prick! I did not know this until today. Thank goodness the children never attempted to crack or bite one open!
My search for lucky beans also led me to this wonderful blog. I have yet to post some Halloween pics, I"ll try to get that done before Thanksgiving. ^,^

it's that time of year again

2008-10-31T12:26:00.004-04:00

I've just spent the entire week doing all sorts of Halloweeny. Our little cottage is decorated, local Halloween shops visited, and bookstore costume contest attended - Maku won first place and Snow was second. Tonight we are going to a Halloween Ball then finally to the most fun part - trick or treating. :)

potatoes and wheelies

2008-10-21T18:30:00.003-04:00

...and what have the girls been up to these days?

making sacks of potatoes, peanuts and yams.

Maku is still doing this

and this ^_^

4 on 2 :)

2008-10-16T13:29:00.002-04:00

Yes, Maku. We are all proud of you :)

a little stumble

2008-10-04T10:37:00.003-04:00

...will be back up soon.

maybe with a picture of Maku's foot as Kate suggested :)

chickens for the soul

2008-08-12T23:00:00.005-04:00

Maku still talks about roosters so we made one. Now Snow's hen is in love. We should be expecting plenty eggs soon.

a day at the aquarium

2008-08-10T14:04:00.009-04:00

touching stingrays and picking up horseshoe crabs
manatee pooping in front of our faces
fun at the gift shop
and panic when our Georgie fell by the shark tank

bowls of soup

2008-08-06T18:40:00.002-04:00

...for sore little throats and runny little noses.

there was also a mama bowl without the noodles.

two heads and a foot

2008-07-28T14:11:00.004-04:00

We didn't give them any names. Maku, however, has named his left foot Rooster.

Now he wants to paint his toes orange and blue - for a more roosterly appearance. :D

back to the familiar

2008-07-22T13:24:00.003-04:00

There are no seagrapes in Pennsylvania...just when I was about to change my name to Oaktree jam or something like that...I find myself back here in Florida. We've been back for two weeks now...

that is Snow and Maku...and three 10 year old girls in the water...can you spot them?

I miss my family in Pennsylvania. And this shady spot under my favorite tree where I spent many afternoons finding strength within myself in this journey of single mommyhood.

july

2008-07-03T12:32:00.001-04:00

picking blueberries from the neighbor's garden

reading John Banville's The Sea

and a picture of a bus just because :)

some kind of normal. or not

2008-06-28T09:50:00.006-04:00

i was happy to see jin and maku sewing again. this time with grandma's help.

and i am taking photographs again. and blogging. i should slow down, i might start eating again and gain back all the weight i lost so effortlessly ^.^ no wait, not to worry, i am not back to showering daily yet. ;)

a tango of confusion

2008-06-25T19:32:00.025-04:00

Oh how our lives have changed! I go to work and the children go to summer camp. It was the second day of camp today and Maku was looking a little confused. He asked, "Mommy, everyone is dressed differently from yesterday. How am I suppose to remember who they are?"

We had a surprise visit last week. He rolled down some hills and away he went. Don't ask. He's just as confused as Maku was this morning.

here, but not really

2008-06-17T18:33:00.006-04:00

lots of nieces, lots of fun
jin is spending her summer here
two more sisters coming to visit
and all I could think about is how much fun Dave will have rolling down this sloped yard
i wonder if the children are thinking the same thing

moving on...

2008-06-13T10:55:00.010-04:00

Thanks to each and every one of you for all your support and advice. I started this blog last year as a place to jot down memories of my final year being an at-home mom, little did I know it would also be my last year of being a wife. Now it's best if I stop talking about this, last thing I need is for my happy little corner to turn into a divorce blog. :)
Tomorrow the children and I will be flying to Pennsylvania. We have plenty loved ones there ready to embrace us and offer us love and support in every way.
Today we say our goodbyes. And I just don't know how. How do you say goodbye to your favorite person in the world? How do you say goodbye to family? How do you pack away a lifetime of dreams, love and commitment in one single day?
Am I making any sense? yes? no? I better go, see you back here in a few days.

the three of us

2008-06-09T16:26:00.006-04:00

finding a sense of peace and comfort in nature
those brief moments of joy
amidst our sorrow and grief

beach ready

2008-06-01T23:15:00.007-04:00

new swim trunks for our little friends made from Jin's old sundress
Summer here we come!

Blue Sky

2008-06-01T08:28:00.008-04:00

"Daddy, you are my blue sky."
Now Daddy is leaving us. And just like that...our sky turned gray.

lunch

2008-05-28T18:04:00.006-04:00

lettuce, cucumber, tomato and onions on a lightly toasted flatbread
topped with cold yogurt and garnished with dill
almost every weekday
since May 12
i just can't get enough

more than a puddle

2008-05-22T13:58:00.001-04:00

After two days of heavy rain, our backyard is now a pond.
In one afternoon we've had countless paperboat and flip flop races, spider rescues and dragonfly chases. We stayed out there until we started to get this really crazy itch.

Next time it floods I think I'll surprise them with a rowboat.

And just one more photo because Maku wanted to show everyone he was wearing his heartburn shirt.

for the love of rice

2008-05-20T15:55:00.005-04:00

Stopped by the store to get brown rice and fell in love with this bag. Looking forward to making bowls and bowls of yummy biryani. And just because I like the bag so much Maku wants to give it some love too.

We just had the driveway powerwashed, here it is dirty. ;)

back so soon

2008-05-17T18:10:00.012-04:00

The plan this weekend was for Dave and the children to go primitive camping and for me to have a night and two days to completely spoil myself.
An hour after we hugged and kissed good-bye, Dave called to say that the park currently has a no-campfire rule due to the extremely dry weather we've been having.
Well, camping is not truly camping without collecting firewood and burning marshmallows, after a quick walk through the wilderness they headed home.
They are back now and so are their loveys. I think these guys were the most excited to spend a night in the woods.
From left: one of Maku's many loveys - Bear Uncle, you've met Snow's lovey - Sunday, and Dave's - General Prince.
I have one too, maybe you'll get to meet her one of these days. :)

just ants

2008-05-15T23:52:00.005-04:00

thirsty ant

strong ant

ants

frogs and blogs

2008-05-13T13:06:00.016-04:00

...and what have the girls been up to?

Snow's hair is now very short - and she loves it! After three years of contemplating she finally did it!

She was a tree frog in her school's Earth Day show.

Jin is once again updating her blog with all the neat things she's been making. She talks about laundry and her dollhouse (she even made a tiny roll of toilet paper!)

Snow is now the proud owner of my old digital camera and is asking to have her own blog. Hmm... I don't know.

an interview with speedfour

2008-05-06T21:16:00.017-04:00

I am Speedfour. I fight guys with three heads. Speedfour is the best hero ever. Water, lava, sunburn - my special powers. I jump onto a lot of buildings.

I want to talk about my rope. I have one on my shoulder that swings me to other buildings. I cannot fly yet. You have to practice a lot to fly.
Eat a lot of fruits so you can become a superhero. I want to carry a whole house that means I have to eat a lot of vegetables. Don't drink a lot of coffee. Coffee is bad for you. When I don't want to be strong I just eat a lot of popcorn. And I want to ask, how much popcorn do you eat? Aha...

When Speedfour is peeing the monsters lose their badness. When Speedfour is sleeping the bad guys fall asleep.
I fight fast and spin around. I love saving people. I try not to fall. When I'm tired, I take a nap or I fight in slow motion.

I AM SPEEDFOUR....tan-ta-nan....and I want to say...FIGHT TO SAVE!

Speedfour is four years old and is the fourth member of a family of four. He lives in a world called Desire 6. His archenemy is the giant Vovo. When he is not busy saving lives, he is simply known as Citizen .

splash and shoot

2008-05-05T16:17:00.010-04:00

Remember when I said I wouldn't bring my camera to the waterpark?

Well, I went everywhere with it.

Even back here - that is Snow sliding down.
We signed up for a summer membership. I'll try my best not to share too many splash photos.

i got wood :)

2008-04-30T22:28:00.011-04:00

Dave got back a day later than planned due to unfavorable flying weather. He brought me home a piece of really old barn wood.

There is my wood - tucked in the back of Steve's plane.

The highlight of his trip was getting lost in this cave. Four hours of walking around in circles and crawling in and out of tight spaces. It was cold and dark, muddy and slippery - and there were bats. He didn't have drinking water but he was proud he had the camera and extra flashlight batteries. At least this way, he could take a picture of himself in a flashlight-lit path - dying from thirst ;)

spilt beer

2008-04-23T21:57:00.002-04:00

Just what do you do with a broken bottle of imperial stout?

Why, enjoy it of course ;)
Dave is going to go up some mountains with his buddies on Friday. He wont be back 'til late Monday night. Three full nights away...same number of nights we ever spent apart in the thirteen years we've been together.
I am so excited to miss him. I get the giggles thinking about our hug when he gets back -- although he'll probably be smelling like dead bunnies and spilt beer.

say cheese ^.^

2008-04-22T18:35:00.017-04:00

A nifty little gadget. It clamps to almost anything.
I bought it immediately after my friend told me about it.

It's a tripod. I got it so I can take more photographs of myself.

And all I've done is take photographs of it.

i'm back

2008-04-20T07:12:00.005-04:00

It has been a week of reunions, picnics and surprises. Snow brought home roses from a boy last Friday- I almost died. Last saturday we drove 70 miles to see friends. Four days later, four of my many relatives from California were in Florida for a cruise and drove 230 miles to see us.

My mom's oldest brother (she has seven) and the best-looking 69-year-old I have ever met. :)
I miss family. Makes me wonder what I am doing here in Florida - well, right now missing them is more manageable than the thought of moving someplace else.

it's a flat world

2008-04-10T15:04:00.012-04:00

It all started with Zicke, Snow's first sewing project. Now there is a book and the whole family is here as well.

Here is Zicke, towering over his parents. In his mother's arms is his brand new baby sister. And to his right is his petite blue-headed grandmother, who is just a wee bit taller than their family pet, Peek.
I found them hanging about Flat Map Park this morning, a perfect opportunity for a photograph. When Snow got home from school she led them across the river to Mushroom Restaurant where they had early dinner reservations.

not quite quiet

2008-04-07T21:54:00.003-04:00

Spring break is over and it is quiet in the house again. For a whole week, life was all fun and games. We had a lot of outside fun, I got rid of my farmer's tan and now have the worst tan line ever - sunglasses tan. I never thought I'd end up with reverse-raccoon eyes but I guess there is a first time for everything.

And since I am in the topic of raccoons, we were awakened (again) last night by their squealing. They mate quite viciously. It is almost the end of their mating season and almost the end of our season of sleeping with windows wide open so I say that was a pretty good finale.

amused

2008-04-05T17:01:00.004-04:00

...on how the sky changed into different shades of blue as the night progressed

...on my numerous attempts to get a shot of my family on the giant swing and end up with photos of strangers - swinging happily :)

...(and horrified) on how expensive everything was.

teddy bears and picnics

2008-04-04T07:42:00.005-04:00

if you go down to the woods today...you're sure of a big surprise...

BOO!
Snow bought a teddy bear with her birthday money and called it Luna. She asked me to make a baby sling; a sling and not a toy stroller. Seeing her brother grow up strapped to me, not some bulky baby gadget, influenced her way of playing mommy. I am hoping this will carry on to her motherhood as well.

Later she asked me to make her pretend boobies. But, you see, Luna is a bear, she can only get bear's milk from a bear or a bottle. So now we have to get bottles. I have an empty sake bottle we can use. I wonder what the moms in the playground will say about that, a bear in a sling, drinking sake.

Speaking of moms, I have two new mommy friends. One is a homeschooling mother of three, a hottie with a fashionable Eastern European accent. The other is from Costa Rica, tall and tan, with beautiful wavy hair and toned abs and, of course, a sexy accent. If this isn't inspiration enough to get back into shape then I don't know what is.

We are having a picnic at the waterpark. The camera will stay home as I will be fully engaged in some worry-free splashing and sliding. I hope Maku is tall enough to go down the big slides.

snow's birthday

2008-04-02T08:03:00.003-04:00

canoeing at 10
lose flip flops at 11
find surprise picnic
unwrap presents - the little cash bag with the spriggy thingy (bottom right) was a favorite
get attacked by bugs
run home
celebrate some more

birthday cheers

2008-04-01T22:37:00.004-04:00

hooray! hooray! hooray! it's dave's 34th birthday!

the forest, the plan

2008-03-29T09:06:00.007-04:00

We finally cleared the path that leads from our backyard to an oak-pine preserve. There was something so captivating in walking through trails where all the nighttime grunts and growls, cracklings and weep-woppings that we hear from our bedroom window come from. We hiked a few yards through a soft carpet of pine needles until we reached a creek. Another trail led to an open field -- just perfect for flying kites, playing tag and soccer practice. It sure beats our old fairy spot.
Dave will be at the creek today clearing out some dead branches and thorny vines. He thought he had the reason he's been waiting for to own a machete until I suggested that the garden scissors will do.
Snow's birthday is coming up, we will surprise the children with a small picnic. Raccoons and opposums invited.

shopping in chinatown

2008-03-27T22:14:00.002-04:00

four different ways:

points if you can match the goods to the person that wants them ^^
more photos here

chinatown in four different ways

2008-03-26T23:49:00.000-04:00

as seen by Snow

by Dave

by me

and by Maku

and we're back

2008-03-25T12:16:00.017-04:00

Partially recharged after a quick day and a half's adventure in New York City. The best time of our trip was, of course, seeing Granddad; who is recovering from a recent bypass surgery. And for those of you who are wondering, yes, on the way home Maku threw up on the jetway that goes from the plane to the terminal. Though it didn't get on either of us this time. Having fun is just so exhausting it can make little tummies sick.
We spent most of our time walking. We walked across the Brooklyn Bridge, around Chinatown, through Little Italy, down subway stations and all over airport terminals.
Snow, on the other hand, did a little bit of flying:

Next stop: Chinatown

hello?

2008-03-20T01:27:00.009-04:00

"Hi, it's me. We are going to New York tomorrow. I don't want to go on the plane again, last time I was so tired I threw up. We went to the county fair yesterday. It was a lot of fun. Mom didn't sort the photos yet, she has to pack. Okay. See you later."

anthony

2008-03-18T11:53:00.004-04:00

birds on anthony

maku's best friend anthony - he calls him brother.

bits of joy

2008-03-17T22:51:00.009-04:00

one of the only two recipients of the Einstein award

having a container handy to house an inchworm

green socks for St. Patrick's Day

dave bakes a brownie

2008-03-16T02:00:00.002-04:00

a heart-healthy brownie. it looked cool but it didn't taste good.