Simone and Shannon

Simone and Shannon, originally uploaded by Lil' Brenda.

Now, the question of the Month: Has Simone given birth yet?? And to which sex? Name? Hmmmm. We need to investigate!!! ;)

Amy's birthday

Amy up close and personal


Amy wondering if the Barbie was going to melt before the pictures were done being snapped. Note the not dandelions.


More Amy, with help from windy cousin, quite close to getting a look under Barbie's skirts. I mean under the tipsy tower of mayonaise cake. Huge surprise that the cake pedestal is from a yard sale.


What I didn't get a picture of, and what I really really enjoyed, was fresh salsa and black beans. Yum Yum Yum. Boof Boof. Ahhhh.

BIG NEWS DESERVES ANOTHER POST!!!!!

AHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!I am sooooooo excited!!!!!!!!!I can't believe C and A are pregnant!!!!!How exciting!!!!I'm going to be an auntie!!!You know A and I are going to spoil that child something terrible!AHHHHHH!!!
Now I wonder, can I deliver it?
JUST JOKING!!!!!ugh. If I never deliver another child in my entire life I'll be ecstatic!
AHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!
btw AC-great post!

Big News!

I am going to be a grandmother! C and A are expecting a baby; rather unexpectedly, I gather; C says he thinks it is the MSM in the Chinese food he has been taking her out to get lately.... hmmmm

Mom, Amy and Me

Mom, Amy and Me, originally uploaded by Lil' Brenda.

Ahh, look at them! This was last summer when Amy was moving back North. Notice how nice and NON-exhausted I looked. How naive I was! ;)
Come back to visit, please!!!!

Am I a great cook, or what?

My downstairs neighbor knocks on my door in a panic on Saturday night. She wants me to help her make Chinese Sweet and Sour Pork but with some Really Expensive Kosher beef she had just bought; I had taken her some Sweet and Sour Chicken the previous week and she loved it. So I go down there and it's a big hassle trying to get this Israeli lady to cook it the Chinese way. She keeps trying to cook it the way she wants to cook it and I'm like arguing with her the whole time. But anyway about two hours later we get an invitation for her Passover Seder dinner. The kids were about passing out by the time we were done with it at like 11:30 at night. The funniest moment was when their son, who is adorable but incorrigable, started singing "Feliz Navidad" while his dad was giving this long explanation. I managed to control my guffaws. Anyway we survived and I think this Orthodox Jewish family survived our visit also. I was very flattered that the wife considered my sweet and sour dish so special that they would serve it for their Seder. What a compliment!

My fledgling collection

My fledgling collection, originally uploaded by Lil' Brenda.

Let me introduce you to my fledgling collection of hair holders. The Bears are from Spring Break in Germany, 10 Euro! Ouch-but handpainted, ya know? Super cute. The black leather one I bought on a whim when I lived in Germany. The seashell one is from another trip to a Latin American country. Hmm. Hmm. The panther next to it I bought in Oaxaca when J and I were working there as fourth year med students. The horses I broadly hinted for on our recent Outer Banks vacation (I'm so spoiled by my hubby!). The wooden fish he bought me in Prague on that famous bridge during our honeymoon-it's one of my favorites. The handmade people I bought for 1 USD each in Mexico when visiting Jan last. They're from Guatemala orginally.

Jen's Gift from Ski Lanka

Jen's Gift from Ski Lanka, originally uploaded by Lil' Brenda.

My fledgling collection in the neato holder Jen got for me from Sri Lanka! Thanks Jen!

Mom and Amy

Mom and Amy, originally uploaded by Lil' Brenda.

Islands 2004

Mini MounTAin mama cooks

Disclaimer: For the most part, I utilize a "Don't ask, don't tell" policy when considering what Nate and the kids eat on the Sunday afternoons they go "to the land". Sometimes, however, they seem determined to tell/show me.

Dad's Recipe:
water, spagetti sauce, hot dogs, oriantel ramen noodels slice, put hot dogs in and stir for 2 minitues, dump in oreantel noodles stir for 2 minutes, dump a half thing of water in stir for 2 minutes,

crunch oreantal noodles and put in pot, put in spagetti sauce in pot, put more water same amount as last time stir for 2 minutes taste if raw cook longer when done serve equley

enjoy
~by carolyn montanye

What's up with this "Happy Married Fat"??

Okay, just a rhetorical question (or not, if y'all feel like commenting): why is it people get fat when they get married? I think of it as "happy marriage fat", but then, I can think of some overly large people that aren't so happily married, so I guess that doesn't fit.

I guess I can just chalk it up to eating three REAL meals a day (instead of a salad on the run), not being as active as I once was, aging, slowing down metabolism, etc.

So that's why I've looked up the local rock climbing gym, went to a park yesterday (we were both too tired to walk very far, so we went to eat calamari on the beach instead. Fried calamari). And instead of driving to get our take out Thai, we walked the mile and back today instead. There's just something about having to "work" for your food instead of sitting on the couch all day.

I still can't fit all that well into my "pre-marriage" jeans. Gonna have to work on that. ;)

Where will Emily be hanging out this week?

this is the second of 2 cross posts - first posted on Dan's blog. Let me know if this is kosher. Figured many people wouldn't want/need to wade through that one too?

New River Gorge
About the Park
A rugged, white water river, flowing northward through deep canyons, the New River is among the oldest rivers on the continent. Located in southern West Virginia, New River Gorge National River was established in 1978 to preserve and protect 53 miles of the New River as a free-flowing waterway...


blehk.

Bossy Angel

Numbers 22 has a pretty interesting story about Balaam and his donkey. Carolyn's fourth grade class (8 boys, 2 girls) did a really excellent play. Carolyn was the angel (cue hysterical laughter) of the Lord.

Numbers 22:32 The angel of the Lord asked Balaam, "Why have you hit your donkey three times? I have stood here to stop you, because what you are doing is wrong. 33 The donkey saw me and turned away from me three times. If she had not turned away, I would have killed you by now, but I would have let her live." She totally told off Balaam. The people sitting behind me wondered aloud about why she was able to play her part so convincingly.


entire cast (2 classmembers were ill + not there):

Jim and Zina

Jim and Zina, originally uploaded by Lil' Brenda.

What is that they saw about owners looking like their animals? How about just settling for the same body language? ;)

Freezing at the swamp

Freezing at the swamp, originally uploaded by Lil' Brenda.

G'ma, thanks for the wool wrap! I'm still using it!

Promised Easter Photo

Grandma and Dogs

Grandma and Dogs, originally uploaded by Lil' Brenda.

Finally, a photo to share! Take by AA at the islands, 2004.

UP and Running

Finally. Before I crash unconscious into my bed, here's the idea:
Mom, Cindy, and Aunt Brenda have been invited to be "co-bloggers" (I haven't figured out how to add more yet). So far only Aunt B has accepted, so only she and I can post items so far. We'll work on that. Meanwhile it should be nice to post photos, updates, etc here just for our family and a few select visitors since I've blocked search engines from visiting. No last names please (see blog name and you'll get the hint) and no birthdates (yikes!). Other than that, have fun!