August 30: The Rescuers Down Under

Day 112

I worked a long day yesterday. One of my most popular events is a wine tasting class and I hosted one last night. People have fun and it attracts a group of people to the library who don't usually come to programs, but I didn't get out of the library until about 9 PM.

This morning Clint and I enjoyed a cup of coffee on our patio while Zoey ate cherry tomatoes and hunted toads. Fall is definitely on the way. The mornings are cool and it was so nice to relax for a few minutes outside before the day started. Clint was all excited because there were crows in our trees. Clint's favorite bird is the crow, largely because of a man he met in Ireland who mystically referred to himself as the "old black crow." I believe this may be Clint's true ambition in life...to turn into the Old Black Crow man.

My final movie purge of my seven-day streak is a VHS copy of The Rescuers Down Under, which I like better than the original Rescuers movie. This is one of my brother's favorite Disney movies and he once considered Barahoute one of his favorite girl names (Barahoute is the golden eagle). Oh Sammy, I hope you never change.

I have two goals over Labor Day weekend. 1) Organize my purges into boxes and move my yard sale items to the basement and out of our bedroom. 2) Go through all my stuff with a fine tooth comb and purge the heck out of my possessions. It's time to get tough with myself. If I'm not going to read a book again or wear something that's hanging in my closet---its going!

August 29: Meet Me in St. Louis

Day 111

"Meet me in Saint Louie, Louie, Meet me at the Fair!"

I love Judy Garland and Meet Me in St. Louis is my favorite Judy Garland film. I first remember watching this movie with my older sisters and my cousin Anne in the basement of my home in Missouri. I was probably only about 5 years old. The bright colors and lively music captivated me then and they still do today. I've watched this VHS copy many times, but I'm going to swap it in for a DVD.

Zing, zing, zing went my heartstrings!!

I haven't posted a picture of Peter recently, so here's one of him this morning:

Little Man.

I've never seen an expression quite like this on Peter. It's very focused in and serious. He is seriously focused on chewing his hands. His face looks slightly oily since I had recently slathered it in lotion. It's been cooler and more humid this week, so his eczema seems to be getting better on it's own. I think he looks like his Uncle Sammy in this picture.

August 28: Father of the Bride II

Day 110

For most of my life, I've believed that my best friend's birthday is August 28th. However, I'm usually wrong about birthdays and it might be August 26th or 27th. Ergo, Happy Birthday Caroline! This salutation may be belated or I might be dead-on, either way I hope you have the happiest of years ahead of you and I'm so glad that we've been friends for the last 15! years. We have so many great memories together and I know there are more good ones in our future. I hope you enjoy much cake this week.

On to the purge...

My purge today is a VHS movie I picked up at a thrift shop last year when I found out I was having a baby. I watched is multiple times during my pregnancy to the point where my husband can no longer tolerate it. :) This is the sequel (obviously) to Father of the Bride, and involves a mother and a daughter having a baby at the same time. What would be nightmarish in real life is clever in the movies.

Every party has a pooper.

Last night I made a fairly spectacular dinner from items I mostly already had in the kitchen. I am going to describe the meal, as I rarely think to take pictures of my food. I had defrosted chicken breasts, which I quickly seared in skillet with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. I then put the chicken breasts in a foil pack with more oil and vinegar and then put them in the oven to bake at 400 degrees for 45 minutes. Baking the chicken in foil made it nice and tender. Using the same skillet as I had seared the chicken in, I added more olive oil and butter. When that was sizzling, I added garlic and whole cherry tomatoes from my plant. Once everything was roasted, I added half n' half and stirred until thick. The sauce turned a sort of burnt-orange or brownish color due to the cherry tomatoes and the remains of the browned chicken. I added salt and pepper and once the sauce was almost done, I added some grated Parmesan cheese, which made the sauce even thicker. While the sauce was cooking I boiled some Farfalle (bow-tie) pasta and then added it to the sauce once it was cooked. The sauce was just enough (I didn't use specific measurements) and it stuck well to the farfalle. We added green beans for a vegetable and viola! a delicious dinner from ingredients I already had lying around the house. Clint loved the meal and kept asking me how I made everything. He couldn't believe I had just made the recipe up. I love it when he loves my cooking.

August 27: The Bee's Knees

Day 109

Yesterday, we had a strange plague descend on our backyard. Clint looked out our backdoor and our patio was being swarmed by hundreds of bees. I have a citronella (scented geranium) plant sitting on our patio table, and that seemed to be the central focus of the bees. Poor Zoey was outside and since she's scared of the new fence (our dog is scared of everything) she has mainly been laying on the patio. The swarm of bees, however, forced her into the yard where she sat looking at the house with longing in her eyes. Clint managed to rid our yard of bees by spraying water at the house, but only after he reassured me that he is not allergic to bee stings (Clint is allergic to many things). My scared dog and allergic husband both made it out of the plague unscathed and sting-free.

Close.

Closer.

Closest.

My movie purge today is The Right Stuff. This movie is an epic, intertwining the stories of Chuck Yeager (who was the first to break the sound barrier) and the Mercury 7 astronauts. It's a neat movie and I plan on giving it to my dad if he wants it. For some reason, Clint had multiple copies.

August 26: About a Boy

Day 108

About a Boy is one of my favorite movies. It's British, which usually means the acting is great and the humor is right up my alley. It's a sort of grim comedy. I think it's recently been made into a TV show, but I'll stick with the movie for now! I'm purging my VHS.

Watch this if you haven't seen it!

August 25: Peter Pan

Day 107

I found this movie on the free cart and work. We watched it, but it's time for the movie to go back. When Peter's bigger, we'll rent it for him to see.

We drove back to KS today. The drive went surprisingly fast as we had a John Grisham book to listen to. We made it back in good time.

I want to say a big thank you to my parents for such a great weekend! We'll be missing you and we think the house looks great...especially the new deck!

Oh pool, I think I'll miss you most of all...

...Well, maybe not as much as Jude and Greta!

And Max.

August 24: Movie Week!

Day 106

Today begins movie week! For seven days I will purge a different DVD or VHS tape. My first purge is Office Space. Both Clint and I had copies of this movie when we got married, so we're purging one. This movie is a classic and I could never part with it for good.

Make sure you put the cover on the DPS report.

We've been in Missouri for the weekend, which means we've been spending a lot of time in the pool and with three very special baby boys.

Dad with baby Max, Ellen with baby Jude and Sam with baby Peter.

This is Max. Max looks like his dad and loves to stare intently at people.

This is Jude. Jude likes to swim and his mom looks like a movie star.

This is Peter. Peter likes to sleep when we're in Missouri.

August 23: Tar Beach

Day 105

I'm purging another children's book today called Tar Beach. This was a Reading Rainbow book back in the day and on that particular episode, Levar Burton talked about the rooftops of NYC and they played the song Up On the Roof. I've always loved the song, probably for that reason. When I purchased the book and read it, I realized there were quite a few pages they cut from the show because they were way too depressing and sad. This book can go with my blessing.

August 22: Zebra Shirt

Day 104

This shirt was an impulse buy after Peter was born. I was getting ready to go back to work, had some JC Penny store credit and thought this shirt was a winner. I've worn it a couple of times, but the material is weird and the arm holes are choke-y. It probably cost $4, so I don't feel too bad about purging it so soon after purchase.

August 21: Dish Towel

Day 103

Today my purge is a dish towel.

May I show you to your table?

Last night, Clint finished putting the gates on our new backyard fence. Originally I was against the idea of a chain-link fence, but I'm really happy with it because it does not diminish my view of the backyard. Now Zoey can run in her fenced yard during the day and when Peter gets bigger, we won't have to worry about him running down to the creek on his own. Clint did a superb job putting the fence in and he did it during the hottest weeks of the summer. I'm grateful and proud that my husband can do these things!

Looking toward the creek.

Admiring his handiwork.

Looking toward the house.

Love birds...probably vultures.

August 20: While You Were Sleeping

Day 102

When I was in high school my sister Mary gave me a VHS copy of While You Were Sleeping for Christmas. I watched this tape every day for weeks. I never got sick of it, and to be honest, I still love the show. Bill Pullman and Sandra Bullock's clumsy love story gets me every time and the hilarious family is just the icing on the cake. I'm purging this movie for two reasons: 1) I work in a library and can get pretty much any movie I want 2) I'm working on purging VHS tapes. In fact, next week I'll be doing a whole themed week of movie purges. I just want to say to my sister: "Thank you so much for this movie! I watched it about 50 times and it was one of the best Christmas presents I ever got!"

"Argentina has great beef." -quote from movie

As promised, here's a couple of Petie Pix in his high chair. Bonus! He's just finished eating his cereal and he is a gooey mess. He's really got the hang of spoon-feeding and he opens his mouth wide for his cereal.

I posted this second picture because Peter looks JUST LIKE CLINT in it. That forehead makes all the difference. Sometimes Clint looks like this after he's had a bowl of ice cream and it's all stuck to his beard.

Here's another cute pic:

On Great-Grandma Dillon's quilt.

August 19: Pear-Weight

Day 101

Yesterday I saw Taylor Swift's newest video entitled "Shake it Off." It's amazing...perfect for back to school. It actually made me want to dance. In the summer, I tend to hone into a few songs and listen to them over and over again. Early this summer I really like Luke Bryan's "Play it Again." Lately, I've been listening to Dierks Bentley's "Drunk on a Plane" and Florida Georgia Line's "Dirt." Summer songs have to be country songs.

Today I'm purging another paper weight, this one shaped like a pear. It just doesn't fit with the rest of my collection.

Peter loves to sit in his high chair, which is great when I'm in the kitchen trying to get dinner ready. He just sits there like king of the kitchen and chews on something while he "supervises" my work. We've been feeding him cereal, somewhat inconsistently, but last night he actually opened his mouth in anticipation of each bite. My little sweetie Petie is getting so big! I need to get a picture of Petie in his high chair, because it makes him look so big and so little at the same time.

August 18: 100 Days!!!

Day 100

I can hardly believe that I've been purging for 100 days. Almost a third of a year is gone. Weeks ago, I asked Clint if I could purge the juicer I got him for Christmas. He used it exactly once, but was put off by the complicated cleaning process. It is pretty excruciating to clean...so we've put it back in the box and haven't used it since January. When I brought up the idea of purging the juicer, Clint said "maybe"...if I waited for a big-number day to do it. 100 is a pretty big-number day. Though he's a little reluctant to let it go, he did consent, so today we're saying goodbye to the juicer.

August 17: The Boyfriend Club

Day 99

I had really high hopes for this book, which I found at my local thrift store. I thought it would be like the Baby Sitter's Club, only just about boyfriends. Yes, I have the reading maturity of a 6th grade girl from the 80s. I was sorely disappointed by this book and couldn't even finish it. It just goes to show you that just because a book says "club" and has neon cover art, it doesn't meant the book will live up to the standards of the BSC. I purge this book without any trace of regret.

Last night I sat on the patio for a few minutes to read, but was so distracted by the sunset that I did more picture taking than reading.

We have a vulture tree in our back yard. Some nights we can count as many as two dozen vultures roosting in this tree. If you go into our backyard as the sun is going down, you can watch the vultures come in to roost. They glide around in circles, weaving in and out of each other before landing. It's pretty neat. These vultures have been here since before we moved in and I suspect they'll always be a part of our backyard scenery. We don't mind. These skulking birds actually give us a strange sense of security.

August 16: Duck for President

Day 98

If you've never read Click Clack Moo or Giggle Giggle Quack, then you are missing out on life. These are two of my most favorite children's books along with Where the Wild Things Are and Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus. I picked up a minaturized version of Duck for President, the threequel to the Click Clack and Giggle Giggle series off of the library's free cart. Once was enough....though I probably would have kept it if it was the same size as the other two books.

I took another picture of Petie with the glowworm this morning. Same sleeper as last night, same blanket...but I assure you it's a brand new day.

What?

He pretty much just rolls over as he pleases these days. He also pushes himself up when he's on his tummy now.  I can tell he wants to sit up so badly...it won't be long!

August 15: Reusable Bag

Day 97

Thank goodness it's Friday. I've had a long week with good days and bad days. Today is on track to be a really good day. It's the feast of the Assumption, so Clint and I will be going to Mass tonight. A Marian feast day is always a good day.

I'm purging a reusable bag today. I need to get on the ball and find more things to purge. I promise you that I'm not just buying things to purge them later! I really didn't know I had this much stuff to get rid of and honestly, the more I purge the easier it is.

Peter has this glowworm toy that plays lullabies. I call it his girlfriend. Whenever it's near him, he'll roll over to see her face and sometimes he tries to chew on it. If that's not love, I don't know what is.

Is it just me, or do they sort of have the same expression? It's like when people look like their pets.

August 14: Shooting Stars and Bierocks

Day 96

Peter has awakened the last two nights, much to my dismay. Two nights ago when he woke up, we did manage to go outside and look up at the starry sky. We live pretty close to town, so there was some light pollution, but we did catch a couple of shooting stars while Peter downed his bottle. I don't know what his deal was last night. Maybe he just misses me and wants to spend more time with his Mama. It's worth feeling tired the next day.

Me and Petie after work last night.

I worked a long day yesterday and didn't get home until 7 PM...just in time to give Petie a bath and a bottle and put him to bed. I had a cooking class at the library where I made something called bierocks. A bierock a hunk of bread with a meat and cabbage filling. It's very popular here due to all of the Germans-from-Russia who settled in this area in the 1870s. The class went great and I brought home supper, which was a tasty treat.

My purge today is another shirt. It's a dressy tank top, but it goes with very little that I own and when I wear it with pants it looks like my top half and bottom half don't match.

August 13: Picture this...

Day 95

I'm purging a picture frame today...but not the picture inside. The picture inside is from one of my first visits to the farm with Clint's family. It's a good memory.

Today is my father-in-law's birthday. He's a wonderful person and such a good dad and grandpa. Clint happens to be just like him and you'll never hear me complain about that! Clint learned most of what he knows from his dad.

I love you Grandpa, happy birthday!

I snapped this picture last weekend. Grandpa's holding on to Petie's little feet, which he says are "pure muscle." Like Grandpa, like grandson!

August 12: Dreamy

Day 94

Today I'm purging a dreamy shirt that I love. It's another one I've been on the fence about, but the arm holes choke my arms. A common trait in my family is that we dislike any shirt that chokes the arms. The colors are great and I've worn this shirt a lot in the summer, but it's time to say farewell.

On an entirely separate note, tonight is the peak of the Perseid Meteor Shower, so I'm contemplating dragging myself out of bed early tomorrow morning to see it. On several occasions when I was younger, my mom would make it a point for us to see celestial phenomena. We saw meteors, the Northern Lights, rare moons and planets. Seeing these nighttime happenings are some of my favorite memories. It was pretty dreamy.

August 11: Tender is the Night

Day 93

Today was just a normal day for us. We took Zoey-girl to the vet this morning and she had a grand-ol-time sniffing every corner of the office. She also has a crush on her vet, who kept petting her and giving her treats. She was a good girl and didn't even whine when she got her shots. Later in the day I did laundry...look what I found in my basket:

Where am I?

After about 10 seconds being in a basket of laundry lost its appeal:

Get me out of here!

My purge today is F. Scott Fitzgerald's book Tender is the Night. This purge is courtesy of my husband.

August 10: Decorative Item Part II

Day 92

I moved to Kansas two years ago today. It's hard to believe it's been that long.

My purge today matches yesterday's. Both placards are Italian themed.

On Sunday, Clint wanted to visit his grandfather in the nursing home and introduce him to Petie. Before church, we headed over with Clint's dad to visit his grandpa. It was really special to see four generations of Bain men all together.

Hi Honey! (Clint's grandpa calls everybody honey)

There's a bit of a resemblance among these four men, don't you think? All four have blue eyes, which is special for Clint since he's the only one of his brothers with blue eyes and Petie's the only grandson with blue eyes. Peter's only living great-grandpa is Don Bain and we're both so glad they had a proper introduction!