Tonsil Boy

Posted on May 16, 2012 by Nan

Over the past few months I’ve taken to calling my oldest son, “Tonsil Boy.”

He has had Strep Throat 5 times in a row… I think it’s 5 anyway. A lot. I’ve lost count. No sooner would he finish a round of antibiotics before coming down with it again. Essentially someone in our house has been sick since mid-February. And we even did our time for a while between December and January with a pesky case of Pink Eye that liked to go in circles around the family, making an encore performance for more than one of us.

But Tonsil Boy has borne the brunt of the sickness. Between regular run-of-the-mill head colds, tummy bugs and Strep Throat it’s been almost non-stop. He and I shared one of those bouts of Strep with each other. We commiserated and watched movies together and moaned and gargled together. And took our temperature a lot because when you have a really high fever you want to be sure of what it is so that you can use it against someone when they might be tempted to think you are well just because your Advil is doing a good job.

Yesterday Tonsil Boy fought back. Actually the surgeon did.

He was so brave.

He was so cheerful.

He made his mama proud.

And afterward, he was very sore and sad. But still funny, sweet and strong.

He wanted me to post his picture online right away so that everyone could see that it went well and to thank them for praying.

We’re happy that this will help him to feel better and keep him from snoring (these were enormous tonsils that were causing apneic-type episodes and major snoring.)

Tonsil Boy said it best in his raspy post-surgery voice, “The beasts are out!” He actually sounded better yesterday than he does today. He feels pretty darn awful right now, in fact. I think he worked his voice a little too much yesterday, what with the singing and all.

An Engagement Session

Posted on May 16, 2012 by Nan

I blogged today over at the A Perfect Impression Photography blog. I got to shoot an engagement session in Alameda over the weekend. Come see a few of the pictures that I got!

A little bit closer

Posted on May 8, 2012 by Nan

I live in a neighborhood that would likely be passed over quickly by those who don’t know it. In fact, truth be told, there’s a chance they might even drive a little faster. I gotta keep it real, people. It’s no The Hamptons. No offense to any The Hamptons dwellers intended of course. I’m pretty sure The Hamptons are a nice place to live.

It seems almost every town has a The Hamptons neighborhood. It’s where lawns are mowed regularly, dogs don’t poop on the pristine sidewalks and the mice and rats are finely attired, speak in a British accent and eat fancy cheeses.

No fancy cheeses in this neighborhood. We have a 50′s diner down the street, a liquor store… wait, no… two liquor stores, a taqueria, a soul food restaurant and a Chinese restaurant.

Every other street here has a different flavor. It’s easy to drive by them all and just assume they are all the same. But when you look a little closer you find that this is just not the case. And you find little bits of beauty tucked in here and there because beauty doesn’t solely reside in The Hamptons.

Just a walk down the street…

Flowers and trees and owls…

How quickly and easily we drive by it all.

And then of course there’s the beauty of the people we bring into the picture.

And the animals.

You don’t really have to look very far. You just have to look a little bit closer.

Credit Tips for Expatriates

Posted on April 27, 2012 by Nan

You never expect that repatriating will be more difficult, financially, than expatriating!

I’m no finance guru. And I’m not planning to blog about money or financial advice on a regular basis but I just wanted to share one important thing we’ve learned through the process of being expats and then repatriating and trying to reestablish ourselves back at home.

If you are thinking of moving out of the country you need to keep your credit score alive while you are gone.

You may have credit coming out your ears. Credit to spare. You might throw credit at new years instead of confetti. Basically, you might have perfect credit but if you are gone for any substantial amount of time and leave no U.S. credit trail, you will be starting from a big fat 0 when you get back home eventually.

Before we moved to Canada, we fastidiously paid off all debt and determined to never be in credit card debt again. While our credit card debt was not what many would consider “highly problematic,” it was not a number we were comfortable maintaining. Truth be told, I hate credit card debt. I enjoy not carrying a credit card with me anywhere I go. I love having no debt of any kind.

I thought that this “no debt” policy was a good thing. And really, no debt is good. I still believe that very strongly. But no credit is obviously bad if you ever, say… want to buy a house. Or a cell phone for that matter.

When we moved to Canada we understood that establishing credit would take a while there. Since we were new to the country we had to start from scratch. That made sense. It was a pain in the butt but it at least made sense. We were actually able to buy a house there… then sell it and buy another one. So now we had established good credit in two countries.

I have a feeling a petty parking violation could be more easily transferred from one country to another than a high credit rating.

Credit scores do not emigrate with you.

When we moved back to the U.S. 7 years after moving to Canada we really had no idea that the fact that we had not kept a U.S. bank account or credit card open would be such a problem.

It was.

It was such a big problem that we could not even get a $1,000 credit card limit from our own bank despite having just deposited the entire proceeds from the sale of our home into that very bank. Reason: No Recent Activity.

You might have perfect credit like we do. We have what is considered a very desirable credit score with no “negative marks” on it.

Good credit scores don’t mean anything if they are inactive!

Unfortunately that is the same thing that has happened every other time we’ve tried to seek credit since then. We aren’t exactly even talking about purchasing power here. We just want to reestablish credit.

Finally we decided to go through a credit union. We finally have a (get this!) $500 secured credit card. This is pretty much as protected and low as you could possibly go when it comes to credit approvals!

So if you or anyone you know is planning an out of country move, even if you’re pretty sure you want to live in the new country forever and ever amen, remember to keep your credit alive and occasionally active through a purchase here or there (and of course don’t forget to pay it off! Haha!) because you really never know what will happen and forever and ever amen might turn out being only 7 years.

When you move back home you will be very happy you took this measure. If you don’t take this measure, you will probably be like us, wishing someone had mentioned this to you before you came back with a great credit score and almost completely unable to get credit!

And there you have my .02 should you ever think of moving out of the country.

My day in Instagram moments… Instagraments

Posted on April 22, 2012 by Nan

Fragments + Moments + Instagram = Instagraments. Not to be confused with Instagarments. I think Instagarments, close relatives to the paper napkin garments you are given at the Dr’s office, are what Adam and Eve whipped up for themselves after that those fateful bites.

I decided to Instagram my day until my phone died. What follows are all of the Instagraments that I caught before the battery went kaput upon our arrival back at home… and then I used my iPad.

So here’s my day in an Instagram shell. (No nuts for the nut-free crowd.)

Sunday.

Wake up…

Drive to church. This is Facebook Headquarters. We pass it on our way to church every Sunday. That apparent meteor about to make impact and turn Facebook Headquarters into a giant crater is actually a speck of something of unknown origin on the windshield. Those arrows are really arrows.

After church we fancied a jaunt to Half Moon Bay because it was lovely and warm and gorgeous. We thought, “How nice it would be to eat some nice fancy food out of doors.” And so we drove to the coast.

And the fog rolled in.

And the temperature dropped a full 20°. And we had not sweaters in our possession.

But we went and ate in a little cafe that had an indoor patio, compete with Spanish villas in mural form.

And mini meringue mushrooms.

Children ate health-value-free pastries for lunch. And declared us to be the best parents ever. Amen.

Oh and large meringue mushrooms were consumed.

After eating we sauntered next door to Toque Blanche, a lovely little shop filled with everything I would want in my ideal kitchen.

Fancy handleless wooden rolling-pins.

Delightful creamy French ceramics. From France. The country.

After oohing and ahhing over all of the lovelies therein contained we decided to walk the town. Such a lovely downtown in Half Moon Bay. This church is situated just East of Main St. Beautiful and so well-kept.

As is the jail, conveniently located next door to church.

My sons collect slimy animals. They name them and then squish them. As a whole, the slimy creature group is referred to amongst them as gooshers. That must be read with an emphasis on the long form of oo as in goof. Goosher. This one they named Snailgonk II. Then he was squished. (Snails are adorable and yet pestilent.)

Time is fleeting. For both snails and afternoon walks.

But we kept sauntering and ambling and meandering and such.

We wandered into the local feed store. Is anything more enjoyable for kids (and animal-loving moms) than a feed store? Feed stores are filled with some of my favorite smells: alfalfa pellets and leather.

Chicks too. I don’t like their smell but they are undeniably adorable.

Baby chicks are wont to literally fall asleep.

Eyes closing
blinking
winking
flap
twitch
PLOP
Asleep
in a tiny
downy
heap

And of course the obligatory baby bunnies. I named this one Mr. Buns. I’m very creative with naming. I have a cat named Cupcake, a cat named Paul, a dog named Bruce and if I got this bunny he would be Mr. Buns.

Moose. They don’t exactly fit in a California feed store but I guess you gotta have a moose on your wall if you are a feed store.

We sauntered right into another kitchen supply store. Le Creuset has outdone themselves. 4 and 20 blackbirds. Of course you only need one of these to vent your pie.

Potty breaks are a necessary evil. I thought this a handy time to get a self-portrait. And I was saving trees on earth day which I thought worthy of recording for posterity.

It was time to go so we headed back down the lovely Highway 92 away from Half Moon Bay. My darling husband humored my long-time wishes to go to one of the beautiful nurseries along this road.

I have decided that I would like to shoot a bridal session in this greenhouse. You can’t beat the lighting and you are surrounded by flowers.

I think it would be so pretty, don’t you?

Foxglove. I know they are terribly poisonous to doggies and children. Otherwise I would want a kajillion of them in my yard.

And off we went, back home through the rolling pea soup fog…

which dissolved like a whisper once over the hill.

Give me a quilt and a hoodie and I could lay on the ground and watch fog rolling in for hours.

We got home and the weeds welcomed me. Call me crazy but I sort of like how billowy and pillowy they are under the apple tree. They also hide lots of toys and doggy related things.

I started marinating the chicken.

Not those. Some other unlucky chicken that found itself in the refrigerator section at Trader Joe’s. Those are The Girls. They make lovely eggs and eat out of our hands. They are particularly fond of Kale. I was walking over to my Mom’s house when the girls started hollerin’ at me to get them some water. Chickens are very effective communicators.

So I filled their water dispenser and also another bowl outside of their coop in case they wanted to go for a dip.

Ranunculus. Ranunculus. Ranunculus. Say it. It’s fun.

And then I made dinner and spoke softly to my food. “Come to mama, my darlings.”

I do so love artichokes. Do you? They are right up there with Avocados and Asparagus, both culinarily and alphabetically.

Oh look. It’s a foil cyclops robot head with lego teeth.

I’m not sure you can end on a better note than that.

Because flowers are good for your health

Posted on April 9, 2012 by Nan

Are there ever really enough flowers? No. Heaven will have never-ending flowers, I think, because flowers are good for you. It’s true.

That is a lovely one, is it not? I feel healthier already.

The happy tulips
smile still,
their cheerful
petals
like a frill,
like a laugh,
a twirling girl
whose skirt
spins ’round in
a fluttery whirl.

Another Tulip Poem
by Me (just now)

(Pssst! Studies show that poetry is good for your health too. Just sayin’.)

You may not have had enough cupcakes recently either. The president says that cupcakes are good for you. This is a concern for me (that you may not have seen enough cupcakes lately and therefore might have low euphoria levels.) One needs to see a decent cupcake now and then to lift one’s spirits and improve one’s brain function. And one really ought to consume a cupcake now and then also. For one’s health of course. Of course, for health.

And we all know that studies show that dark chocolate is good for us. There can be no arguments there.

Studies also show that birthdays are good for your health. The more birthdays you’ve had, it’s been proven, the longer you live. Hard to believe but true. Birthdays. Do ‘em for your health, man.

That boy, just had his 12th celebration of birth which is hard to believe for someone who was so recently six pounds and wrapped up burrito style in a 100% cotton Carter’s blanket demanding homemade milk and fresh diapers by the hour.

Eggs. Another thing that are good for your health. Nope. Bad. Nope. Good. Nope. Bad. Nope. Sorry. Good again! I mean, strike that, reverse it. BAD! Hold up a minute… Eggs are super food!

Oh well. They are pretty, no matter what the doctors decide to say about them.

I have also conducted some personal studies on the health benefits of nieces. Results: Good for you.

Also, cats are good for you (allergies notwithstanding.) Studies prove it. Studies also prove that pigs can’t really fly (documentation needed.) Studies also show that one of the best ways to impress people with your point is to remind them that studies show things.

So here are some cats. (For your health.)

And that brings us back to flowers.

By the way… Blogging is healthy… (and I’ve mentioned here before how much I love citing studies, real and fake, that prove my point.)

Cheers! To your health!

(disclaimer: all claims made here were made prior to finding studies to prove them.)

Tax laughs…

Posted on April 6, 2012 by Nan

I don’t know why I thought of this today. Maybe it’s because we went in to sign our tax forms today and the lady at the reception desk smiled at our brood and said, “It looks like you have a couple of deductions!”

I just thought it sounded like a great congratulatory greeting card from a tax-preparer.

DIY Hideous to Happy: Pineapple Lamp

Posted on April 4, 2012 by Nan

So I had seen this old brass pineapple lamp at my mom’s house and figured that it wasn’t super special to anyone a while ago. I had asked my Mom if I could have it a while back but never went over and got it.

Flames shooting out the knob of a table lamp in your house will make you go get an old pineapple lamp really quickly. Turns out it was probably the outlet that caused the problem rather than the lamp but I’m not taking my chances with that other lamp now that flames have whizzed their way through its circuits. It’s sitting cozily in the trash, thankyouverymuch.

As you can see from the picture above, there are a lot of projects around our house that are not really complete… like lack of switchplates and Oh, never having painted some walls. Who needs walls painted anyway when you have pineapple lamps that need makeovers?

So I washed this puppy off with a damp sponge (the scouring side of the sponge.) Then I took it outside and lightly sanded and dusted it off. I also taped up the few little bits that I didn’t want to paint.

Then I chopped it up.

Slightly overripe but really, for being from the 70′s, pretty good still and oddly enough, no metallic aftertaste. What a nice surprise.

Okay, so I actually cut that up for the kids for lunch because it had been sitting here ripening for way too long and was on the verge of being wasted. So back to the lamp. I then whipped out the paint (thanks again Home Depot!)

And gave it one coat…

and then another…

And then I let it dry.

I bought a new lampshade, harp (the metal bracket that holds the lampshade) and a new decorative top thingy (real official name.) I put it all back together and plugged it in (in a different outlet than the original offending outlet which is known to send flames shooting out of otherwise perfectly good lamps) and Voila! A lovely white pineapple lamp.

I actually was probably a little overzealous with the paint because there are some noticeable drips at the bottom of the lamp. I think I’ll sand them down and repaint there this weekend. Overall, it was a good first lamp makeover.

Another Shoe Giveaway! WINNER ANNOUNCED!

Posted on April 4, 2012 by Nan

Congratulations Madeline B.! You are the winner of my super cute Reeboks! E-mail me and I’ll get your shoes on their way to you soon! Woohoo!

____

So there is one more pair of shoes from my Famous Footwear bonanza at Blissdom ’12 that won’t be spending time on my feet because they are just a wee-bit too small.

Up for grabs are these super cute black Reebok RealFlex runners. Not only cute but comfy and lightweight. And RealFlex… they really are flexible. Shoe comfort is tantamount for me. If these were a tiny smidge bigger, I would not be having this shoe giveaway at all because I really like these shoes!

I’m pretty sure my lucky winner will like them too!

This giveaway is for a pair of SIZE 8 Reebok RealFlex runners (the actual pair pictured above.)

I will run this giveaway until April 11th at 11:00 p.m. and will announce the winner soon after (probably the next day but life is crazy so leave me a little wiggle room.)

Good luck!

One Day DIY Dresser

Posted on April 3, 2012 by Nan

I’ve been wanting… nay, needing more storage space for my kitchen. Our house is actually an upstairs/downstairs duplex with a shared front door and indoor stairs. So basically it’s a house with extra doors, if that makes any sense at all. This means that technically we have two kitchens. But the upstairs kitchen has no stove and is mostly used for the kid’s art and school and an air hockey table.

The downstairs kitchen sees all the food action.

It is also a kitchen built for about 2-4 occupants. We have 7. Needless to say, it’s what you might call “cozy” if you’re in a good mood and “cramped” if you are tired of bumping into people and not being able to fit stuff. It’s a challenge.

So for a while now I’ve been thinking that I needed a sideboard. I don’t usually buy furniture new but I can be daunted by big DIY projects.

My drive for more space took over though as I did a major house-cleaning. So I hit the local thrift store yesterday and found your regular run of the mill ugly old dresser.

I could go into a long how-to on what I did to get this dresser from hideous to happy but I’ll keep it simple: sand (electric sander), dust, prime and paint. Boom. Done. Baddabingbaddaboom.

Here is the before, during and after:

Before

Sorry. No absolute before because I was in a Tawanda mood and started tackling it the minute I got it home.

During

Priming the drawers…

Almost done…

After (mostly… minus two handles because, dumbness of dumbness, the holes on those two drawers are closer together than on all the other drawers. Grrr. Fix is in the works.)

Home Depot $10 Off $100
Home Depot 15-60% Off Spring Black Friday Savings!

I bought all of my supplies yesterday on my way home from the thrift store at Home Depot. Stuff I used on this project: Painter’s Touch Flat Gray Primer, Norton 100 grit sandpaper and Glidden Premium Interior semi-gloss (I think that’s the right one.)

Consider the Lilies

o me of little faith