Category: family

Summer of sewing and soccer

Don’t you just love an alliterative title?

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Fancy soccer training jacket

I haven’t blogged much this summer. Mostly because we just haven’t done that much. I feel bad for the boys – they keep asking if we’re going to go somewhere. And then I keep reminding them that they’re playing soccer, remember? And soccer is very expensive. (Guilt trip much? I learned from the best!)

But don’t feel too bad for them. We are going on another big ol’ family cruise at Thanksgiving, and thanks to soccer, we’ll have a few small trips to soccer tournaments throughout the year. In fact, the first one is already on the calendar.

Unfortunately for me, it’s also the weekend I’m supposed to come back from this year’s Grand Meetup for work, so I had to get permission from work to leave a day early. Get this: the GM is in Orlando this year. So I’ll fly home Friday afternoon, load everyone in the van and drive BACK to Florida that very same evening for the tournament. Ha! At least the tournament isn’t also in Orlando – it’s in Pensacola which is just a few hours away.

So what have we been up to this summer? The boys went to camp for about six weeks. They didn’t love having to go to camp, but it got them out of the house at least. And they went to a few days here and there of soccer camp as well, which they enjoyed. Of course, nothing was close to home so I feel like I spent the entire summer in my van, and not in a fun road-trip kind of way.

Walking into camp
Tiny bench or giant Linus?

They also participated in summer soccer, which was two evenings a week for seven weeks. I think it was good for them – it was their first experience playing “elite” soccer, not just recreational. At first, they were kind of disheartened, but as the weeks went on, they enjoyed it more. It was mostly drills and scrimmages, so they learned a lot. Of course, thanks to our summer afternoon thunderstorms, there weren’t seven weeks worth of soccer, but whatever.

Goalie-ing
Soccer-ing
Sunset at the field

Another highlight was Aunt Jenny and Emily and Andrew and Uncle Rob coming to Baton Rouge to visit. We spent a few days at Grandee’s hanging out, visiting with my cousin Sara’s baby, and as a bonus, the boys got a haircut, which was sorely needed.

Cousins!
Me and Emily and Andrew
Baby Case!

There were also playdates and me breaking a tooth and having to get it pulled (so now I have two gaps in my mouth which makes me extra classy) and hanging out with coworkers in town with their family, and saving the world, and going to visit a giant mural of a French soccer star.

Post dental work
Playdate with Diego
Sandy and Jenn and allllll of our kids
We escaped!
Took the boys to see the giant mural

I’ve been sewing a lot when I haven’t been working. I took a class at a local sewing store (blog post to come) which was amazing, but have been mostly working on sewing up household goods to sell to help pay for soccer. It’s a win-win – sewing relaxes me and hopefully, it’ll ease the stress of the endless costs of competitive soccer. (If you’re interested, you can check those out here and here.)

origami totes
origami totes
grocery bag dispensers
grocery bag dispensers

Happy Father’s Day George!

Really this is another sewing post disguised as a post about Father’s Day. Because I made George a shirt for Father’s Day, and gave it to him early because I was excited that I made a complicated shirt with buttons and a collar and stuff. (It’s Kwik Sew 3484.) Next time I think I’ll make the view that looks more like a bowling shirt, with the contrasting panels.

Anyway, he likes it. So yay!

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Tardis print, next to the Tardis at the pub.

A few other pics of George and the boys, just because.

It’s been twenty years

Today marks twenty years since my dad died. Instead of posting the same old pictures for the, well, twentieth time, I dug through my boxes of pictures to find some new ones. And if you want to read more about my dad and what an awesome guy he was, this post about the annual golf tournament that Blue Cross still holds annually in his memory is a good read.

Now that’s a handsome dude.
Coolest family on Earth.

I like how these pictures are basically the same, just a few years apart.

High school graduation
My brother’s wedding
Man, was THAT ever a great first day of school outfit! And perm. Oof. The 80s were not kind.
This must’ve been around late 95 or so, judging by my “Rachel”. (Also it was my brother and SIL’s engagement party.)

I sure did love my Daddy.

I also wrote about him here, here, and here.

Sewing and soccer

I started to make this just about sewing, but there’s more to life than sewing, you know.

There’s soccer, of course.

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Speaking of, my latest post for NOMB came out today.

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Generally tongue in cheek, as I am wont to do. Check it out!

Okay, this is probably really, really wrong of me. But I was videoing some of the soccer game because I knew the boys would want to watch it, and I just happened to get a video of this kid on the other team getting knocked over by a ball. He was FINE. But the video is VERY FUNNY. SO I can’t decide if I should share it or not. Hmm. How about I won’t embed it, but I’ll put a link here so you can click on it if you want to be as evil as me and watch a little kid get conked in the head with a soccer ball? Fair enough. (And yes. I slowed it down so you could see it even better.)

Last weekend, some long-lost (not really) cousins were in town and we had lunch with them. I wish I had some pictures. We were half an hour late because the French Quarter was packed so it took us forever to park so I was too frazzled to take pictures. Except of my barbecue oyster poboy. Mmmmmm.

Oh, and my Uncle Lee was here and he showed me a photo of my Aunt Nancy from when she was younger. She was my dad’s big sister, and of course I only knew her when she was older so it was lovely to see this.

Oh, look at these adorable sailors in the FQ for Navy Week!

Sewing-wise, I made this dress and this dress and both were fails (one was WAY too big, and I don’t feel like going back and reprinting and taping the pattern in a smaller size, the other was just…meh) and then I decided I needed to try the Cashmerette Springfield top again because by golly I wasn’t going to give up on it, and I was much more successful the second time. Except the bust darts were too high and the arm holes a smidge tight.

Try three was a winner! My friend Jessica sews kid’s clothes for a living and had two full boxes of adorable fabrics that she gave me and I am in HEAVEN. I made both of those Springfield tops out of fabric she gave me. I love the plaid!

Not bad.
Much better!
SO MUCH FABRIC!

And then last night I decided to try the Cashmerette Washington dress and as seems to be the case with these patterns, they don’t fit right the first time so I am going to re-make the bodice in a different fabric tonight and see if it works better. I hope so!

I also am excited about trying out this dress pattern and this skirt pattern. This weekend, I hope I can get to at least one of them!

Dress
or dress
or skirt

Oh, but my nieces’ birthdays are coming up and I want to make them things too. So much to sew, so little time!

Ooh, and look at my cute shoes!

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Also I’ve been to Orangetheory five times in a row now because I want to get this stupid t-shirt that you have to earn by completing “a marathon” in April. Which normally, fine, 26.2 miles over the course of a month’s worth of workouts wouldn’t be so difficult except that I was out for about 10 days of the month because of travel and a funeral last week. So I might fall apart by the end of the month but BY GOD I WILL HAVE A SHIRT THAT IS PROBABLY TOO SMALL.

George without a beard?!?

Have you heard of St. Baldrick’s? It’s a charity that raises money for childhood cancer research, and their big fundraiser involved shaving heads. George is going to participate this year, and I know, his head is shaved regularly (by moi) already, so what’s the big deal?

Well, I’ve never seen George without facial hair, and we’ve been together for 16 years. I have seen photos, though, and it’s kinda scary. Like Tom Selleck without his mustache! (Am I comparing my husband to Tom Selleck? He wishes. Of course!)

Look how much younger he looks without a beard!

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To make the stakes higher, George has agreed to shave his beard and mustache as well as his head. And if you want to someday see a more updated picture of George without a beard, be sure to donate here!

The big event will be on Saturday, March 10 at the Crown and Anchor if you want to witness it in person!

Donate today! Or tomorrow!

 

516 months

Yesterday was my birthday! (I thought about taking a monthly picture, but no one was home to take it when it was still light outside, but that’d have been funny, eh? Darn, missed opportunity there.)

Anyway, even though this year I was at home and not gallivanting around the world in, say, San Francisco or Barcelona, I had a great birthday. In fact, one of the better ones, I’d say. It wasn’t particularly eventful, but just overall a lovely day. Well, except for the weather. I’d appreciate a sunny birthday more often, but sadly, January is gray and yucky too often to hope for that.

It started out with waking up with the boys and bringing them to the bus stop so I could see Ann Frances (my birthday buddy, you know.) Then I went to Orangetheory and thought at one point in the workout that it might end up that I would last exactly 43 years on this planet, but alas, I survived the workout. Stopped at a neighborhood coffee shop for a hot beverage and a pastry (apple turnover) and then went home to chill for a bit. (I took the day off work.)

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January 9 buddies

Kiki had sent me a pile of presents, and I wanted to spread them out throughout the day. So I opened one – a White House Christmas ornament. Earlier I’d opened one that had some face masks and cream in it.

I got on the ferry a little while later and met up with Heather and Steph for a fancy lunch at Antoine’s, one of those old traditional New Orleans restaurants in the French Quarter. (The oldest, in fact, having been around since 1840.) It was lovely, even if the service wasn’t the greatest. Then again, our waiter had been there for 50 years, and so what if he kept bringing me screwdrivers when I asked for martinis? (Part of the lunch special is 25 cent cocktails.) Anyway, I’d have been on the floor if I’d had three martinis, so perhaps he knew best.

After a delicious lunch of oysters, steak, and a meringue dessert, Heather drove me home, and I relaxed for a while until it was time to go get the boys. (I also opened another gift from Kiki – a copy of the Smitten Kitchen cookbook that I’ve been wanting. Yay!) I was going to let George pick them up, but I wanted to get a birthday cake. Kind of pathetic, having to buy my own birthday cake, but if I wanted one, I’d have to buy it. So I went to the grocery store and found a yellow cake/chocolate frosting number, and here’s where it gets even sadder.

I asked them to put “Happy Birthday” on it, but when she asked for a name, I just said, “no name, that’s fine.” I’m sure it seemed odd, but not as pathetic as it would have been if she’d realized Pam was me. What if I went to check out and the cashier noticed the name on the cake was the same as the name on my debit card? I know it’s a long shot, but I didn’t feel like risking it. Usually, that kind of thing doesn’t bother me, but I just couldn’t make myself do it. So my cake remained nameless.

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Also my Ron Swanson came in the mail!

When I went to pick up the boys, Miles informed me he’d made me a card!!! This is all I ever want from the boys, and I was thrilled. It was the sweetest card. Ack!

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Oliver posted a Happy Birthday on Instagram that morning, which was indescribably sweet. It was a terrrrrrible picture of me, but that’s kind of okay, you know? Like, he doesn’t think it’s a terrible picture. He just sees Mom. So sweet.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bduq7DBgkHx/

(Yeah, nothing from Linus, but I did get plenty of hugs at least.)

When we got home, I opened my gifts from George (another lens for my phone – this one a telephoto) and a glow in the dark cockroach that I gave back to him. Thanks, dear. Ellie called me to say Happy Birthday, too.

Then we ordered dinner (pizza for the boys, pasta for me) and had cake. Later, I went to the pub for a birthday drink with Jenn and Terry and Steph, and came home way too late. So I’m tired today, but it was worth it – a nice day filled with friends and food and presents and love. What more could I ask for?

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2017 in review

Years that end in 7s have typically been pretty eventful for me. Well, at least two of them have. I spent a good chunk of 1997 in London, which was life-changing for me. And 2007 brought a trio of little clones into our lives. So I expected 2017 to be equally eventful for me personally. I mean, hey, it was also the year I was 42, so expectations were high.

But it didn’t end up being particularly noteworthy, at least not for me. In fact, generally speaking, I’d say it was not a great year overall. But for our family, it was fine. Let’s recap. Read More

TEN

Well, the boys’ birthday has come and gone, and I think I’ve finally recovered from their party. But not quite enough yet to host another slumber party next year. We’ll see. I am guessing I’ll capitulate once again. Words of wisdom: Hosting slumber parties is like childbirth.

The Party

We had five boys come over (so 8 total) and thank goodness my friends Teresa and Jenn (one of the boys’ moms) stayed to help for the evening. After eating pizza, we walked down the levee in the fog to see the bonfire. There were tons of people there, but fortunately, the side we were on wasn’t crowded. Between the fog and the crowds, I was a little nervous. But each adult was assigned a triplet and a friend or two, so it worked out fine.

We saw people doing weird things with fire (not sure what to call them) and then the bonfire was lit! It was cool. The kids enjoyed it. And it killed some time.

jump!

My favorite picture of the fire:

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After we got back to the house, we had cake (that I made!) and sang three times, as usual.

I’d also bought some canvases and pastels from Michael’s and they got to make artwork, which killed about, oh, 7 minutes. They were all too excited about playing on the Switch.

I went to sleep at around midnight but the boys didn’t. Well, two of them did. But the rest informed me they were going to stay up all night long. I rolled my eyes at this, but sure enough, when I was woken by the patter of little feet at 4am, I knew the other parents were going to hate me.

(Well, I mean, surely they expected this?) (No one was mad in the end.)

I groggily got up at around 7, and there were a few passed out boys here and there. Apparently, mine napped for about an hour in the middle of the night at various points, so I think only one kid truly stayed up all night (he conked out on the sofa in the morning.)

I went to get donuts for the kids, and the parents started coming to pick them up around 9. And then the boys napped off and on throughout the afternoon. There was a trip to Target late in the day to spend the gift cards that were burning holes in their pockets.

The Big Day

Monday was their actual birthday and the poor kids had to go to school. I drove them, though, so they didn’t have to suffer through a bus ride.

But first! They got to open presents from Grandee and Larry and Kiki. Those were the big gifts. Miles got the drawing tablet he coveted, the promise of a custom sweatshirt (he wanted to use the tablet to draw a design for it), and a pogo stick. (Fun!) Linus got a drone and Mario Odyssey for the Switch. Oliver got a controller for the Switch, some fancy markers, a kite, and a book on drawing. A good haul!

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I spent the day trying to work, but mostly failing when I realized that I didn’t have a decent gift for Oliver. (I ran to the store to get something, whew.) George and I picked them up from school later that day, took them to guitar lessons, and then went and had a nice dinner.

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Afterwards, they got to open their gifts from us (Linus got a Pokemon game and Ticket to Ride, Oliver got some drawing supplies (including a drawing mannequin that Ziggy promptly ate), Miles got fancy colored pencils and the sweatshirt I accidentally already mentioned.)

All in all, a great but exhausting birthday. They loved all their gifts, which was gratifying. Now just to figure out what to get them for Christmas…

Then and then and now

August 2012

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Boys: 4; Ellie: 7; Evan: 42

In April 2015, we recreated it:

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Boys: 7; Ellie: 9; Evan: 45

And today, September 2017:

 

Boys: 9; Ellie: 12; Evan: 47

 

Life as of today

I haven’t posted a normal post in a while, just an update on what’s going on in the world. So let’s see…

The boys are a couple of weeks into fourth grade. So far so good. Except they’re not super fond of the bus driver, who is apparently very strict and gruff. Which is exactly how bus drivers should be, I’d say. Well, except for last Wednesday when he forgot that school got out an hour early so we waited at the bus stop for over an hour. Fortunately, the bus stop is the mall, so I dropped into Ulta and made an appointment to get my hair did. Fun colors to come!

Speaking of fun colors, last night, I put in some extra-orange color (blood orange, to be exact) into Oliver’s hair because it was getting too hard to tell him and Linus apart at a glance. Better now. Pics later.

I have a work trip coming up in a couple of weeks, to Whistler again. I’m super excited to see everyone, but the forecast for the next ten days is not making me happy. I need some autumn weather while I’m there, dammit! I’ll get there a few days after the end of the forecast, so all I can say is, a cool front better arrive before I do.

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Speaking of weather, it’s very weird here, thanks to Harvey. Pouring one minute, clear blue skies the next. Can’t complain, though. Seeing what’s going on in Houston makes my heart hurt. Just sickening.

If you’re looking for something you can do to help people in Texas, this page has some great links.

I made pesto (no nuts, George is allergic to most of the ones that would go in pesto) out of the basil I grew this summer. First time it really thrived, probably due to the very wet summer we had. It was not bad, but maybe I’ll put one fewer clove of garlic in it next time (sorry person I worked out next to this morning!)

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A good thing this week – Evan and Ellie are in town! I love seeing that girl (okay, both of them, really) and I can’t believe how grown up she is! (Look, we’re both bigger! Hahaha)

2005
2017

Ooops, I went down a rabbit hole looking for old pictures of Ellie and me, and found this…gah!

One last cute thing…Ziggy now has his https://www.instagram.com/ziggymcziggerson/ so you don’t have to look at boring pictures of my kids to see what you really want – DOG.

9 years, 8 months

This month, co-starring Andrew, who has lost his first two teeth since we got here and is totally adorable. Emily gets home from camp tonight, otherwise she’d be in the picture as well.

The 8th month photos seem to be on trips a lot. Makes sense since that’s when we usually travel.

It’s been a while

(Kiki and I can’t say that to each other without kind of sing/growling it like that song. Now you won’t be able to either, if you could before. Sorry.)

Not a whole heck of a lot has been going on. Everyone is fairly healthy, though there is still coughing happening. But not as bad. Also I am probably deaf to it now.

I did a 5K on Saturday for a local breast cancer charity. That was fun. I didn’t do it for time or anything, hence no race report.

Oh, and that evening the boys’ school had a fundraiser at the amusement park at City Park, and that was a lot of fun. I rode the Ladybug roller coaster three times in a row. (It’s very mild.)

Waiting for the Ladybug
Miles and I on the scrambler

Video proof of my kids getting older:

Sunday was of course Mother’s Day, but also George’s birthday. So my usual plans of spending the whole day alone were kind of shot. I went to Orangetheory in the morning, and then did some errands, and was going to go to a movie (with George’s blessing, I’m not a monster, you know I love birthdays, but he doesn’t really care as much) but I got home too late. Boo! But I had a few cocktails at the pub and then went home and cooked some steak. Yum!

Oh right, on Saturday (man that was a busy day), the boys’ friend Diego came over. When his mom came to pick me up, she gave me a dozen roses! What?!?! So sweet!

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Also, Ziggy got a new bone.

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Yep, real exciting stuff around these parts.